Careful
by Babypeach16
Summary: What if after that first awful day in Biology, Edward never came back? What if he wasn't there to sweep Bella off her feet, and Mike Newton got there first? Will Edward win her over, or is he too late?
1. Prologue

**Hello! This story will be told primarily from Bella's point of view, but Alice will help to fill in the gaps with the Cullen household, as at this point Bella has only met Edward once. Enjoy!**

**P.S. - I promise to post a new chapter EVERY Friday, no matter what.**

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own these wonderful characters, which belong to Stephenie Meyer. I just get to play with them.**

**Careful**

**_Prologue:_**

**APOV**

Jasper and I retreated to our third bedroom. I was rather proud that we weren't so flamboyant in our love as Rosalie and Emmett were; they had already destroyed seven rooms in the new house, and we'd hardly been in Forks for two years. At least the constant redecorating kept Esme occupied.

I shut the door quickly and quietly before I pounced.

"You little monster," he chuckled.

I raised an inquisitive eyebrow, pretending to be incensed. I craned my neck away from his intended kisses, but he caught me easily, pulling me around to face him and pushing me down on the bed.

"My beautiful, talented, _wife_ of a monster," he corrected. I gave in with a laugh, filling my tiny fists with two handfuls of his shirt and pulling him down to me.

His shirt was on the floor and my dress was on its way to joining it when I froze. Jasper continued to apply kisses to my neck and throat before he raised his head. I didn't see him do so; I only heard his sigh. It was the fourth time this week that my visions had come at such an inconvenient time, and I knew that a lesser man would have grown impatient. Jasper stroked the back of my hand lightly as he waited for my eyes to clear and return to him. As understanding as he was, I didn't think it a good idea to tell him my theory that Bella Swan was the cause of my sudden increase in visions. He might have a harder time accepting her as my sister.

I focused in on the image that danced around my head, staring intently as though moving pixels into place. I saw my future best friend standing on a rock down at La Push, the one place we were forbidden to go. She wobbled, and I laughed, finding the situation more humorous than concerning. Although Bella's clumsiness was worrying at times, she was perfectly safe with her friends around her. Sure enough, that dull Mike Newton was only too eager to play the role of her knight errant, keeping his arms around her long after she recovered from the near–fall.

He paused near the edge of the woods, just as they were about to rejoin their friends. I paid closer attention, sure that this was the climax of the vision. Mike looked at Bella's feet nervously as he asked her to the Spring Fling. Her face became as uncomfortable – if not more so – as his own. It was certainly much redder. I sniggered as she informed him that she would be out of town that day, driving to Seattle. It was clearly a lie. Mike certainly didn't think so: he was heartened that she hadn't rejected him outright, and he offered to take her out another time. Flustered, Bella could think of no other reply than a nod. They left the woods for Mike's Suburban, he looking triumphant, and she absent as they held hands. My smirk dissolved into a snarl.

"Dammit, Edward!" My hiss elicited another sigh from Jasper. It was clear that I wasn't going to be in the mood again anytime soon.

I was fuming. I was the one who had brought us to Forks, after all. I was the one who had wheedled and plead with Carlisle in secret until he agreed that we should leave Denali for a decade or so. I was the one who had seen visions of Bella and Edward together, and Bella as my sister. As my best friend.

There was simply no way in hell that I was going to allow my poor, deluded brother to screw that up.

Things had not gone as well as I had hoped, that first day. They were no worse than I had expected, but there were occasions when I hoped my visions were faulty. Edward had been overcome with lust for Bella's blood, and far from killing her – as many would have, members of our family included – he removed himself from her presence. I was proud of him for having the strength to _not_ kill my future sister, though the more time he spent away, the more frustrated I became.

It had been nearly two months, and Edward's absence had not been conducive to the relationship that was supposed to be forming between him and Bella. Instead, it seemed, Mike Newton – the epitome of high school toolishness – had moved in for the kill.

That would not be tolerated.

If by some fluke Bella grew to return Mike's adolescent infatuation, all my careful planning to get us to this point would be for nothing, and Edward would continue to wander the earth alone for all eternity. Not to mention the fact that I would be robbed of a shopping partner, albeit an unenthusiastic one.

Edward had had enough time to resolve his issues. He needed to come home, and come home now. And once he got here, I would make sure he swept her off her feet, away from the awkward clutches of Mike Newton, and into the Cullen home.

The only thing left to determine was the best way to lure him back from his wilderness retreat. I settled on befriending Bella. As he'd slammed his foot down on the gas pedal of Carlisle's Mercedes, in the milliseconds before he'd peeled away that first day, Edward had issued express instructions that none of us was to interact with the girl in any way, shape, or form, under any circumstances. I had never been one to follow Edward's command.

I patted Jasper's hand in apology as he picked his shirt off the floor.

"Another time," I promised, my expression unusually grim. "I have work to do."


	2. Questions

**Author's note: special thank you to DuckDoll for the review :) This chapter was supposed to be two, but I decided to make it one!**

**BPOV**

"Careful, Bella."

I smiled sincerely, if not enthusiastically, at Mike as his hands gripped my waist, saving me from falling into the ocean. He didn't let go right away, but slung an arm around my shoulders as soon as he righted me, and led me away from the tide pools.

Normally, I would have cursed my clumsiness for allowing Mike to further his affections, but I was too distracted by the information I'd just extorted from one of the local Quileute boys.

According to Jacob Black: the gorgeous boy I'd met only once – the one who seemed to hate me on the spot – was a vampire. Initially I had to stifle my laughter, to save poor Jacob from embarrassment for his culture's legends, but the more I thought about it, the more I remembered the details. I had only sat next to Edward Cullen for forty-five minutes, but in that time, my senses had absorbed enough information to fuel two months' worth of memories. Like the unearthly pallor of his skin that was closest to that of a corpse, but far from repulsive. Like the depth and fury of his eyes, darker than any I'd ever seen. The strong angles and lines of his face, the sensual curve of his mouth, the faint and intoxicating aroma that drew me in…

He was exceptional.

For that reason, his revulsion affected me more than Mike or Jessica's dislike might have. I couldn't understand why the beautiful boy hated me, within minutes of our meeting. The sting of his attitude toward me faded as Mike and the others swamped me with attention and obvious affection, but I never stopped wondering about my lab partner that had disappeared.

"Earth to Arizona," Mike laughed, pinching my sides playfully as he guided me over the mossy roots and logs that would have brought me down to the forest floor if I had been under my own control.

"Sorry," I wasn't truly regretful, but the apology came naturally. I was fascinated by my new information about the Cullens, and I wanted nothing more than some time alone to think it all through.

"Um, so Bella," Mike addressed me in a pitch two levels higher than normal, coming to a full stop just at the edge of the woods. I was confused. When I'd been talking to Jacob Black, Mike had said that we needed to get back to the others so Tyler could make it to work on time. He wasn't showing any signs of rushing now.

"What's up, Mike?"

"Well…" He stared at my shoes, and dread began to snowball in the pit in my stomach as I considered all the possible things he could have to say that would make him this uncomfortable. "I was wondering if you wanted to go to the dance with me."

"Oh." My face was almost instantly infused with crimson as I outmatched his discomfort by a mile. "I'm not going to the dance…I'm driving to Seattle that day." I flushed a little darker as I added the lie, but I didn't think he noticed. I was just glad that I had managed to keep my voice steady. I was a terrible dancer, and as nice as Mike had been to me, I wouldn't have gone to the dance regardless.

The disappointment on his face was obvious, but it brightened almost instantly, "That's cool," he told me, clearly proud of his nonchalance, given the circumstances. "We could do something else."

My stomach seemed to plummet further, a feat I hadn't thought possible until now. Completely flustered, I could think of no plausible excuse to offer him. Besides, it seemed a little coldhearted to shoot him down twice in five minutes. Mike was my friend; I attributed my success with the in-crowd of Forks largely to him. It seemed only fair to give him a chance, even if I wasn't interested.

"Sure," I stuttered.

"Great," I experienced a wave of remorse as triumph flooded his face. Maybe I _should_ have been a little more coldhearted. I wouldn't want him to get his hopes up. "How's Friday? The new movies come out then. I'll pick you up at seven."

"Okay," I mumbled. At least with a movie I wouldn't be expected to make conversation.

The whole ride home I stared off into the middle distance while Mike received congratulatory fist-bumps from Tyler and Ben. Jess was looking to me desperately for any sign that I would offer details from our deal, but Angela managed to restrain her with a look, for which I was very grateful.

Any other day, I could have thrown Jessica a sentence or two, but I had too much on my mind to indulge in her gossip.

The Cullens. They were beautiful, they were different. Pale, aloof, seeming to belong to another time and place. And according to Jacob Black, vampires.

Nonsensical as it was, in my mind, it seemed to fit. How could such people exist as humans?

I was surprised to note that I took this idea so seriously; even more so it that neither frightened me nor made me want to drop my wonderings about Edward. The only barrier I found was his behavior the first and only day we'd met: his apparent hatred of me should have meant that as a vampire, he would surely have chosen me as one of his victims.

So why was I not dead?

*******

"The Cullens are staring at you," Jess hissed. I sighed, pretending I didn't care while a shiver worked its way slowly down my spine. This was the third time in one week that she'd caught one of the beautiful, mysterious siblings looking in my direction.

I shook my head at her, wishing that Angela hadn't caught the flu. If she were here, she would probably have changed the topic or distracted Jess from her musings about the Cullens and me.

Clearly, we did not belong in the same category. Not even close. It was no wonder that Jess – and the others, for that matter – were confused by what the elite family could want with me.

Though I didn't particularly like Lauren, I was glad that she got tired of Jess' fixation as I did and quickly sucked her into a conversation about Spring Fling dresses, leaving me on the outside, where I preferred to be.

I snuck a peek over at the Cullen table. The three eldest, Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper, had looked away – if they had been looking in the first place – but sure enough, the girl in my grade was staring straight at me. Alice Cullen smiled, and I thought I caught her wink before she returned her attention to her untouched blueberry muffin.

I wondered what she knew about her brother's absence. More importantly, I wondered what she was willing to share about it.

The bell rang shrilly as always, interrupting my thoughts. I filed out of the cafeteria after Mike and Jessica, listening to them moan about the end of lunch. Though I wouldn't admit it, I didn't mind that lunch was over. Mike and his friends had been welcome enough, but I never truly felt like one of them. If I was honest with myself, I only really enjoyed Angela's company. And today I was alone.

My arrival in Spanish reminded me of this as I took my seat at the table that Angela and I usually shared.

"Some of you did not so well on this last quiz," Mrs. Goff informed the class sternly. "As a result, I think that you will need to review the vocabulary again. You will take the period to work with a partner until you each have these words fully memorized."

She came around with a sheaf of half-slips, depositing them on the desks of their owners. I looked around for someone else without a partner, having little success. By the time my quiz reached me, most people had paired off. The grimaces were fading from their faces already as they abandoned the assignment to gossip and discuss last night's tv.

Mrs. Goff offered me a tight half-smile and a nod as she returned my quiz. _Ninety-eight_. Normally I would have been happy with such a good grade, but I was too preoccupied with finding a partner.

"Is this seat taken?" My eyes widened as I turned to find Alice Cullen sitting next to me, in Angela's vacant seat. I shook my head no. Her sudden appearance had startled and surprised me. Alice was the odd one out in a class of fifteen; she excelled at Spanish, so Mrs. Goff probably would have let her work on her own, but she always managed to be absent on days when we worked in pairs.

"I'm Alice," she told me cheerfully, though of course I already knew that. "We haven't really spoken at all, so I thought I'd introduce myself."

I managed to overcome my shock enough to smile. "It's nice to meet you," I murmured. "I'm Bella."

"Yes, I know," she giggled. "I think everyone knew your name before you came."

My smile fell. It had been two month's since my arrival at Forks. That first day had been wretched – everyone focused on chief Swan's daughter. Everyone had been curious. Everyone had been overfriendly, and overly helpful. Everyone, except Edward Cullen.

"Are you going to the Spring Fling?" she asked, making it clear that we were going to be like everyone else and forego the assignment. I saw from the _one hundred _poking out from the paper crumpled in her fingers that she needed the extra practice even less than I did.

"No," I replied, unable to stop a hint of color from invading my cheeks. "Are you?"

"Yes, I've had my dress picked out for months! I'll probably pick up Jasper's tux myself, to make sure it matches perfectly. You know men," she rolled her eyes. "But why aren't you going? I heard through the grapevine that you have a date with Mike Newton?" She looked at me with innocent confusion and I groaned, sporting a fully-fledged blush now.

"Does _everyone_ know?" I muttered.

"Not everyone," she said lightly. "But you should go to the dance – I know the perfect dress for you."

"Maybe I'll go to prom," I hedged. Maybe she'd forget by then.

She beamed. "Good. I love to shop – we should definitely go shopping for prom dresses together. So how long have you liked Mike?"

I blushed again, though I recognized that her curiosity stemmed from a desire to be friendly, rather than looking for gossip to spread like Jess or Lauren would have.

"I don't know that I like Mike…in that way," I whispered, barely audible to my own ears, though she seemed to have no trouble hearing me.

"But you're going on a date with him?" Alice looked more perplexed than was necessary. People went on dates all the time with people they didn't like.

"He's nice enough," I sighed. "I'm just not interested in any of the boys here, really." _None of the boys here now._ "They just seem to be all the same."

"I know what you mean," she nodded. "My brother Edward used to complain about the same thing – he said the girls were all the same."

My heart quickened as she brought up Edward for me, saving me from trying to formulate a way to slip him into conversation.

"Where is Edward?" I asked timidly, unable to think of a less direct way to find out what I wanted. I hoped she wouldn't think I was being rude; somehow, I knew that not much could faze Alice.

"He's visiting relatives in Alaska – our cousins missed him so much when we moved that they invited him for an extended visit. Carlisle and Esme said it was okay, so long as he kept up on his work. He should be back soon, though."

"Oh," I swallowed. "That's nice."

Alice seemed to see through my pretenses. "Edward can be a bit hard to get to know," she acknowledged. "He doesn't trust people right away. But once you get to know him, he's one of the best people I know – you'll love him."

I blushed again, even though I knew she was just being conversational. It was clear that he hadn't  
mentioned to her why he hated me so much, so I didn't ask.


	3. Creep

**Author's note: I'm posting this earlier than usual because I'll be out of town for the next few days, but please feel free to review anyway - I'll respond as soon as I get home.**

**This chapter is dedicated to my lovely editor Jimmitti.**

**Creep**

**APOV**

A blast of wind grazed my cheek as someone stole into the house from the night, stopping just behind me and accosting me with a hissed accusation.

"What have you done?"

I whirled to face my attacker, a knowing smile parting my lips. "Edward! It's so good to see you."

He stood amongst the shadows still, brooding as always and torn between his irritation with me, and relief from missing us all. "Alice." His tone was icy, but I knew him well enough to tell that he was already softening from his original intentions.

"We _missed_ you," I told him, ignoring his question. "Esme's added a new sun room, you'd love what she's done with the place. And Rose tuned up all the cars, even your Aston Martin, and – "

"I don't give a damn about the cars, Alice." I knew then that he was angrier than he let on – it was unlike Edward to swear at _me_. "What I _do_ give a damn about," he continued seriously, careful to keep his face devoid of expression "is what fool game you are playing at with Isabella Swan."

"Bella," I corrected him, widening my eyes until they reached their most innocent proportions. "What game? She's my friend." It was a stretch, but she _would_ be my friend, soon enough.

Edward's glares were effective on almost anyone but me – me and Rosalie, of course. Therefore, I was unimpressed as he panted with rage. Jasper probably would have defended me if he could have seen the way Edward towered over me now, but Jasper always was a worrier. I could handle far more than my poor, emotionally burdened brother.

"I told you –" _pant_ "– all –"_ pant_ "to stay away from her," he spat.

I rolled my eyes and offered him a grimace. "Bite me," I suggested.

Despite his obvious fury, Edward couldn't help but fight a smile. A second later, his determined expression had crumpled into one of defeat. "Alice," he groaned into his hands, holding them over his eyes as if to permanently shut out the light.

Though I was sympathetic to his tortured feelings, I had had enough of the misery they brought to the whole household. I sprang into action, leaping into the air to rap my knuckles sharply against his forehead.

"Enough," I snapped. "You, Edward, are going to listen to me. You are going to go hunt, and you are going to get your shit together, and then you are going to _come back here_. No running off to Alaska, you hear? This is your home. When Carlisle and Esme and the others get home from hunting, you are going to greet them like nothing is wrong. Tomorrow, you will be going to school, and you will sit next to Bella in Biology and be the perfectly polite-if-moody gentleman that you are. Then, I am going to hunt. I only stayed behind because I knew you were coming, and you _know_ how I get cranky."

Edward frowned several times throughout my little speech – particularly the moody gentleman bit – but he remained silent, looking at me with pleading eyes. _But…but…_

"What is it?" I sighed.

"I can't sit next to her," he whispered. "I can't be anywhere near … Bella. I just can't. I'm not strong enough, Alice. I'll hurt people. Or worse, I'll hurt her. She's innocent – even though I can't read her mind, I can tell from her face exactly how fragile and naïve she is. The only thing she's ever done is tempt me. She doesn't deserve to die for that."

I resisted the urge to pat him on the head like a child and tell him, "That's very nice, dear." In my book, Edward's tortured musings were the mental equivalent of a badly conceived finger-painting. But…as his most beloved sister, it was my duty to support him anyway.

"You can so be near her," I assured him grimly. Come hell and high water, you are going to marry this girl someday, dammit - the least you can do is suffer through forty-five minutes of Bob Banner by her side.

When he looked thoroughly unconvinced, I grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the door. "Look, I'll show you."

He dropped my hand like fire, reading in my mind what I intended to do. I was leading him straight into the lion's den. I had to prove to him that he was stronger than he gave himself credit for. No hunting, no preparation, just the element of surprise on my side, I took off for the Swan residence like a firework from its casing.

Through his shock and against his better judgment, Edward followed. I was at a disadvantage; he was faster than I was, and he could reach into my mind and gain access to my every strategy. I knew I had to resort to the trees, where my lithe form allowed me to leap from branch to branch so much faster than he could. In the dead of night, Edward had to take care not to snap off any branches by mistake as we swung between pines. Explaining to the Newtons why their spruce was mutilated was one conversation we were both willing to skip.

It was true that Edward could have stayed on the ground and outstripped me easily, but that would have served no purpose. If he arrived at Bella's house first, he could only wait for me. He would have to stop me before I reached the Swan residence. Besides, I knew that he was somewhat afraid to go near her; that was the whole point of this exercise.

I reveled in the freedom of leaping through the air, fragrant needles whizzing on either side of my face. Though I had the control to avoid them, I let them brush against my cheeks because I adored the touch, like the soft bristles of a blush-brush. I restrained my self from actually dancing through the trees. It was not the occasion.

This was a mission.

Edward streamed behind me like a lynx to my sparrow. When he read in my mind which branch I would reach for next, I countered his lunge by pulling the images of his future in rapid succession. He intended to take me down before I reached the Swan's street.

I couldn't say that I didn't pity him somewhat. The poor boy was fighting a losing battle, even if it was for his own good. There was no way that he could restrain me with physical force. If he could catch me, he could only subdue me by tackling me and dragging me back to the house, and Jasper would _not_ like that at all. Once Jasper came to my rescue, it would be two against one, and Edward would feel ashamed. Even if Jasper didn't agree with my methods, he would stand by me.

If it came to that, the others would get involved, and Edward could never sneak silently back to Alaska like he had planned, after ending my little trick with Bella. He was sunk.

We rounded the loop of housing that led to Bella's backyard; I slowed just slightly as we neared to prepare Edward and intercept him if he was overcome by his senses. It was too late for him to leave.

I paused at the branch that stood ever-so-conveniently two feet from her bedroom window. Edward lingered a hundred yards behind, wary and looking…scared. I had never seen Edward look frightened before. He had called me from Alaska, and I remembered our conversation well, particularly his private sentiment that he thought her his own personal demon, sent to destroy him.

In the sibling rule of the ages, I was determined that nobody but I could harm my brother.

Besides, I had gotten to know a little of Bella through my reconnaissance mission, and she was a danger to no one but herself, though a very great one at that. I beckoned to Edward to come closer, treating him like a skittish chipmunk that I was offering a cookie. I had experience with this; luring forest animals with expressions of harmlessness had been our method to civilize Jasper and help him blend in with the average Joe. Heaven knew he was far too intimidating and flawless to not stand out in a gym line-up with the Mike Newtons and Tyler Crowleys of the world.

Edward regarded me with a great deal of skepticism. He inched forward with a cautiousness that was so comical I would have laughed, were I not afraid that it would inspire further hesitancy on his part. He seemed to be well in control of himself; I noticed the fleeting pain that twisted his features as Bella's scent intensified. He could handle this, so long as I eased him into the experience. Only when we stood on the same branch did I move.

Bella snored softly as I unlatched her window and swung it noiselessly open. I flitted through before Edward could yank me back. It was too late for him now.

He followed me with the sense of doom of a man entering hell. I watched the agony mar his face as the overwhelming scent of her hit him like a tractor-trailer, annihilating almost every rational thought. _Almost_. Edward was strong; he closed his eyes and closed his mouth, and I pitied him for the ferocious burning of his thirst. It was unavoidable, though – I had to prove to him exactly how strong he was. Not once, even when every article of Bella's possessions swamped him with her fragrance, did I have a vision of him killing her. Not once.

We stood in silence at the foot of the bed, testing the waters of his control. His face relaxed minutely, and I was satisfied. I moved toward Bella's head. A low hiss escaped Edward, and I turned to find him glaring at me. It was clear that he thought I had crossed the line. I rolled my eyes.

"Ed-ward," Bella murmured, throwing her arm over her eyes. We froze in mutual shock.

"Ed-ward," she repeated. "Why do you…hate me?"

I glanced back at him slyly; if I had trained Bella to go along with my little plot, she couldn't have done better. _See?_ I thought, loudly and smugly and knowing he would hear. His eyes were wide with incredulity.

"Please…" Bella moaned. "Don't…hate me, Ed-ward…" With that, she rolled over and let out a muffled sigh, the air from her breath rolling irresistibly toward my brother. I saw him twitch – time to go.

I took him gently by the elbow and led him back to fresh air, shutting Bella's window just as quietly as I had opened it. Edward was silent on the run home – we flew through the ground of the forest like silver ghosts, all need for strategy gone.

The lights were on in the Cullen house when we returned. The hunters had come home.

Edward grasped my wrist before we entered the house. "She thinks I hate her?" he inquired softly. I was surprised to see how his face was moved with remorse; I had thought that was what he wanted. He heard my thoughts and responded.

"It would be better for her to stay away from me," he clarified. "I would have thought that she'd forgotten me by now."

"You're stronger than you think you are," I reiterated, patting him on the hand before moving through the sliding glass doors to my Jasper. In the reflection of the pane, I caught him nod, once and slowly.

_Alice_, I congratulated myself, _A job well done_.


	4. Lucky

**Author's note: I might upload chapter five before next friday, as Valentine's day is coming up! 3 **

**Chapter Four BPOV Lucky**

"So what are you going to wear?"

I stifled my groan, learning only too quickly exactly how fashion obsessed my new friend was. Though I preferred Angela's laid back attitude to most, I couldn't deny that there was something about Alice Cullen that made me like her, even when she was channeling her energy into torturing me with questions I didn't feel like answering.

Maybe it was because when Jessica and Lauren asked, I felt like it was for their own self-serving purposes, something to pass on or use against me. With Alice, it was merely curiosity and a genuine interest in getting to know me. Plus, she had on her side a spark of excitement whenever she first asked something, and puppy dog eyes when I declined to answer. My declines never lasted very long.

In this particular case, it wasn't that I was unwilling to share information with Alice; there just wasn't anything to share. I hadn't planned on dressing up for my 'date' with Mike tonight. I never dressed up, period.

Alice knew it. I knew it. And knew what she was about to ask.

"No," I told her firmly.

"Oh, please, Bella," she begged. "As your first ever favor to me as your friend, please let me dress you for your date."

"Shhh!" I dragged her hands away from each other to put a stop to her clapping; her excitement was drawing attention from the other students in the parking lot, attention to a fact that I wanted no one privy to but Alice, Mike, and Angela. Not that it mattered, much. Mike had wasted no time in ensuring that everyone in school knew about our date.

I didn't see why it mattered to Alice so much that this date went well. I knew she was just trying to be helpful, and prove to me in her own way what a good friend she could be. In a little less than a week, I had become better friends with her than I had had with anyone in Phoenix. If I was being honest, I had trouble connecting with people – I was on a different wavelength from most of the world. Alice was special – she had enough energy to be everybody's wavelength. Even though I enjoyed her company, I didn't feel that I was close enough to her to confide that I was secretly hoping that my date would not go well. I wondered what she would think of that, and I knew that she would have at least twenty different pieces of advice to offer.

She bounced next to the faded red hubcap of my truck, trying valiantly to ignore the rust spots that offended her sensibilities. I loved my truck, rust spots and all, and I had made it clear that I would tolerate no slander against it.

"Bel-laaa," she sang. "Please, please please pl –"

"Fine." My short reply was not meant to placate her – it was supposed to demonstrate exactly how much I was displeased, and how I was barely going to put up with her make-over of sorts.

Alice squealed in delight. Apparently, nothing could quash her enthusiasm.

By the time I had managed to make it to the driver's side, careful to move around any puddles in my path, a head of jet black hair was quivering with excitement in my passenger seat.

"What are you doing?" I stuck the key into the ignition, praying that it would be a good day and show off for Alice and start the first time.

Alice rolled her eyes at me. "Coming home with you, of course – I have to see what I have to work with. It will determine my level of involvement."

I threw the truck out onto the main road, not questioning that Alice had basically invited herself over. Truthfully, I didn't mind – I was actually sort of jealous of her self-assuredness, and her decisiveness was always entertaining. I wished that I had the confidence to carry myself the way she did – like some sort of fairy queen, floating about and gracing whoever she came in contact with by her presence – rather than the newcomer who only hoped that people's eyes would slide right past me if I slunk between classes with my head down.

I was hoping that the same logic would apply tonight, which was exactly why I was reluctant to accept Alice's help. Mike would be encouraged if he thought I had dressed up for him. If I wore my same old hoodie and jeans, he might think differently, and maybe even lose interest, if I was lucky.

"Urggh, Bella, this is awful," Alice whined, discarding the last remnant of my closet onto the floor. Not a single article of my clothing would suffice, in her opinion. "You have no clothes," she pouted, glaring at me like I was a puppy-killer, or something.

"I don't go on dates," I said defensively "And there's no where nice to go in Forks – my grandparents are all deceased, so I don't need nice clothes for funerals. Why on earth would I bother dressing up?"

"Because it's _fun_," she told me patiently, with an air that made it clear to me that I was about to receive a Cullenary education.

"Dressing," Alice informed me "is one of life's finer joys, second in my book only to eating," she paused for a moment, before adding with a wink, "and love-making."

I gaped openly at her. Everyone knew that Alice and Jasper were together, just as Emmett and Rosalie were. Everyone knew that they all lived in the same house. I remembered the implied scandal about it that Jess had imparted my very first day, but even she didn't seem to take it very seriously, outside of being a good piece of gossip to pass on. After all, this was Forks. Nobody _actually_ believed the rumors.

Boy, did I believe it now.

I blushed furiously, even though _I_ was not the one who had just confessed to being…_experienced_…as though professing that my favorite flavor of pie happened to be peach.

Alice shook her head minutely, as if to say, _Oh, Bella. So naïve._ I filed that little bit of information away for future reference, in case I had any future questions. My blush deepened as I considered this, but I knew that though Alice was likely to laugh at me about many things, she took me seriously when it mattered. With that thought, I bypassed all my brand-new disturbing mental images to focus on what she was telling me about skin tones. Apparently I was a 'winter'.

She wasted no time in chucking the chosen out fit at me; a pair of dark wash blue jeans and a pretty red blouse I used for the very occasional special occasions. I was surprised that she hadn't gone for my only skirt, a long khaki one. When I mentioned this, she eyed the skirt with disdain before turning away, as if it had personally offended her. I frowned.

"We have no time to quibble," she told me sternly, quashing my protests that my skirt wasn't that bad. "Let's see what we can do with this hair of yours." She lifted a hank of my ponytail and examined it, turning it this way and that. "What I wouldn't give to do curls," she sighed. "But that's for special occasions."

"I thought this was a special occasion," I griped.

Alice merely narrowed her eyes at me and set about brushing my hair until it hung in shiny, natural waves, neither curly nor straight. She talked to me while she brushed, and I was grateful that there was one task that didn't require her "full and immediate attention."

"So, what's new with you, Bella?" she asked idly, setting and resetting my part.

"Not much," I replied drily. "Got a hot date tonight." I was proud of myself for not rolling my eyes. "What's new with you?"

"Well…Edward came home yesterday."

For reasons I did not consciously understand, I turned a horrible shade of umber at her words. As I waited for the rush of blood to my face to subside, I carefully chalked it up to anxiety and embarrassment over his innate hatred of me.

"Oh," was all I had to offer.

"The family was pleased to have our prodigal son home," she smirked. Catching sight of my expression in the small oval mirror that hung over my desk, Alice frowned and swept my hair aside so she could look at my face. "You needn't look so worried, Bella," she chided.

I made a small, unintentional noise that was somewhere between a snort and a squeak. I disgusted myself.

"Look," she said. "I know he was pretty cold to you that first day, but he feels really bad about it, I promise. Would you believe me if I said that he was just having a really, really bad day?"

"I guess so," I mumbled, surprised that she knew about our limited interaction, and had managed to keep quiet about it for so long. It really wasn't like Alice to belong in the same sentence as 'quiet'.

"I just wanted to warn you, he'll be in school on Monday, and he'll be on his best behavior," she promised. I nodded, and for once, she didn't scold me for moving my head while she brushed. "You'll love him," she asserted once more, after a long pause.

We continued on in silence mainly, except for her soft humming. It wasn't a tune I recognized – from another time, maybe.

When Alice finished with my hair, we were done. I had refused make-up point blank. There was nothing else for her to do to me tonight, and I had half an hour to feed myself and think up a good alibi for Charlie before Mike picked me up.

I felt sort of bad for not introducing Alice to Charlie, but I figured it was no great insult, as I hadn't brought anyone else over. Besides, there was no way I was going to tell him about my semi-non-date with Mike.

"Good luck," she chirped as she stepped out my front door. She gave me one more satisfied body scan before flitting down my driveway. It occurred to me then that I hadn't asked her if she needed a ride home. By the time I thought to call her back she was gone. I hoped it wasn't a far walk to the Cullen's place.

"I'll need it," I muttered grimly. I just didn't know what for.


	5. Possibility

**This chapter is dedicated to everyone who has ever been on an awkward date (Or will be soon).**

**Happy Valentine's Day!**

**P.S. Edward likes reviews even more than heart-shaped boxes of chocolate ;)**

**Aside from the fact that he can't eat chocolate.**

**Chapter Five: Possibility**

**BPOV**

My date with Mike was more or less as awkward as I had feared it would be. On the plus side, we hadn't had to deal with any surprise visits from Charlie – he was still out fishing by the time Mike's Suburban crunched loudly over my gravel. I left the note explaining that I'd gone to get groceries, in case he beat me home. I filled two paper bags with dry goods and left them surreptitiously beneath the stoop to use later as evidence. The only issue had been what to do about my truck; I could park it down the street, but if Charlie didn't hear it coming, he would ask questions. Every person on my street knew when I was coming home, thanks to the racket my poor truck made. I pretended that it was just happy to be home.

On the minus side, we'd received a rather unwelcome surprise from Tyler Crowley and Austin Marks at the diner. Mike should have kept his mouth shut; if he hadn't talked incessantly about this date at school, then they wouldn't have known where and when to give him a hard time. I was just irritated that I had to be included in the equation.

They left me alone when I didn't reply to any of their innuendos, reserving their choicest jabs for Mike. I sighed, wishing that they would just go away, or that Mike would realize that every time they got a rise out of him, they were only encouraged by his response.

"Assholes," he muttered darkly as the door to the diner slammed shut, the tinkling of the bell and their raucous laughter carried back to us still. I made a neutral murmur while I waited for my blush to subside. He twisted his blond hair in his hands, whether out of frustration or just to give himself something to do, I couldn't tell.

"How is your burger?" he asked. In typical fashion, his question came right after I had just taken a big bite, so I had to chew and swallow quickly before I answered.

"Fine," I squeaked. It was a pretty good burger, but I had really wanted one of the other entrees. I didn't feel comfortable letting him pay for anything more, though. Silence ensued, and I couldn't help but check my watch. "Do you think we should head to the movie?" I asked timidly.

"Yeah," Mike slung his jacket over my shoulders as we exited the diner. I was surprised; I hadn't expected anything approaching chivalry from him, or any high school boy. After all, I had heard the stories from Jessica and Lauren. Boys were all the same, with the exception of a rare few like Ben Cheney. Angela and Ben had a great relationship, but he just wasn't my type. I just figured that as far as high school boys went, I didn't have a type.

"Thanks," I mumbled. Touched by his consideration, I put renewed enthusiasm into my efforts at conversation. "Tell me about California," I suggested.

Mike's smile lit up like a football stadium, and I felt bad for not giving him this chance before. He'd mentioned his roots in California only once, on my first day – in an attempt to make me feel more welcome by showing me that he knew how I felt about the sun, the thing I missed most in Forks. It occurred to me then that Mike had always tried to make me feel welcome in Forks.

"It was great. I grew up in San Francisco – I loved riding the cable cars. The best memories I have are of Pier 39. There was always something going on, and we would get chowder in bread bowls. Every Saturday, my mother would take me shopping with her at the Farmer's Market at the Ferry Building, then my father would take me to Ghirardelli and we'd eat chocolate down at the beach."

"Do you miss the big city?"

"Yeah – there was always something to do. But you know, I have great friends here. I don't think I'd be so close to people if I had gone to a bigger school, you know? Besides," he glanced over at me from the driver's seat, reaching up to adjust the rearview mirror "if I had never moved, I wouldn't have met you."

…And there was the Mike I knew. I had gotten so caught up in the stories of his charmed childhood, I had forgotten that this was a date. I tried to hide my grimace, unsure of how to respond to a statement like that. What was I supposed to say, 'me too'?

I smiled at him, and was grateful when we pulled into the parking lot of the movie theatre. Mike had let me choose the movie, and I had analyzed all the synopses of the movies playing with Alice. This one wasn't too action-packed, but not too romantic either.

I hadn't counted on it being too sad. To my horror, tears seeped out of my eyes as the main character's dog died. I was so upset and embarrassed by my emotion that when Mike snaked an arm around my shoulders, I didn't have the heart to shake him off. In fact, it was kind of nice.

"This was nice," I admitted to him as we pulled onto my street. I had explained to Mike why he couldn't just park in my driveway.

"Yeah?" Mike looked hopeful and excited in a way that was more boyish and innocent than anything I'd seen from him.

"Yeah," I smiled.

"I'm really glad I finally asked you out. I've been meaning to since about the first day of school."

I looked down at my hands as we parked, wondering what would happen next, and trying not to think about it. Mike wished me a goodnight as he hopped out of the car and came around to my side to open the door. I was surprised and glad when he didn't try to kiss me. Maybe Mike was a better guy than I gave him credit for.

My goodbye smile was genuine, and I even accompanied it with a wave as I went to retrieve my 'groceries' from the stoop.

"Hi, Dad." Charlie turned from his spot on the couch to smile at me and thank me for getting groceries. I tried not to feel guilty. He said that the fishing had been good, and that he hoped I didn't mind being left alone. I assured him that I didn't.

As I brushed my teeth, I held a silent conversation with myself in front of the mirror. My date with Mike had been more or less than what I had expected. I was willing to call it a date now, rather than passing it off in my mind as a semi-non-date. I layered more toothpaste onto the brush, ducking my eyes to the mint green, rather than look myself in the face.

Mike wasn't such a bad guy. It wasn't love, but it was an open door.


	6. Resistance

**Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to my lovely editor Jimmitti. Sorry I thought your mom died when I didn't see you yesterday. You know how I worry.**

**Please review! Alice likes people that review.**

**Chapter Six: Resistance**

**APOV**

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," I griped to Jasper. He rubbed my neck comfortingly as I glared daggers at Edward's back. I watched his posture shift as he heard my thoughts. He sighed and his shoulders slumped, but he didn't dare turn around and face me.

My idiot of a brother could be such a disappointment sometimes.

"Thank you, Jasper," I whispered, whirling in half the time it took for a hummingbird's wing to beat, and kissing him. He glowered in Edward's direction, angry that he had caused me to fly into such a tizzy. It wasn't really Edward's fault though; he couldn't help being so deluded and confused. It was only when he resisted my guidance that he deserved the blame.

I strode up to him and tapped him on the shoulder, letting him know that he was forgiven. For now.

"We should go to school now," I told him firmly.

"I'm not going."

"Oh, yes you are. You get in that car or I will break every last piece of Esme's china and tell her that it was your fault. Jasper will back me up. And which one of us do you think she will believe? You happen to be the only one with mind reading capabilities."

He didn't even wince. Silently, he retrieved his schoolbag and went to sulk in his Volvo. Jasper and I joined him shortly; I didn't trust Edward to make his own way to school today.

Lord knew I didn't understand that boy. Ever since Friday's run-in, he'd been brooding. It was his own damn fault that we'd nearly been caught.

Edward snorted under his breath as he caught that last thought.

"It's true," I retorted. "I was getting along perfectly fine until you showed up."

"Oh, yes, Alice. You were so sneaky. Which is why Tyler Crowley was already undressing you with his eyes by the time I got there."

If I had still been alive, I would have flushed. Thankfully, none of my family would ever know that at one time, I had been prone to blushing. My unapologetic façade remained intact for their sake. After all, who could be diminutive, intimidating, and pink at the same time?

"Well, you made us miss the most important part of their date," I snapped, retaliating partially to hold Jasper's attention. He was looking a little murderous at the mention of Tyler Crowley's deep seated lust for me. Usually Edward kept such things hidden, but when he was angry, they had a tendency to slip through his filter.

He rolled his eyes, pushing his foot into the gas a little more than was necessary.

"Yes, I'm sure that they were having loud, frantic sex in the back of the movie theater while you two were busy bickering like an old married couple." Emmett surprised us by poking his head into the car to offer his two cents. We weren't yet out of the winding driveway, so we didn't need to worry about any bystanders noticing his amazing feat.

Edward sighed loudly, dragging his hands over his eyes. As mentally scarring as Emmett's statement has been, I was sure that his accompanying graphics must have been much worse.

"Don't think about her like that," Edward said sharply to Emmett.

All four of our eyes widened in surprise. Emmett was the first to recover. "Awww, does widdle Edward have himself a widdle crush?"

I noticed the impressive white color of his knuckles as they tightened around the steering wheel. It was impressive because I hadn't known that our skin could get any whiter.

After I appreciated the loudness of Edward's teeth as they ground together, I really thought about what Emmett had said. Edward? Have a crush on Bella? Impossible. Someday, he would – but it was unthinkable that it would have happened so soon. He had only seen her twice when he was in control of himself: once when we were spying on her, and once when she had been in an unconscious state.

Still, he had seemed almost…jealous on Friday night. I replayed the memory in my head, as crystal clear as a videotaped television show.

* * *

Perched on a low branch ten feet from the window of the diner, I had a perfect view of Mike and Bella's interaction. Perfect, until Edward obscured my vision.

"Spying again?"

"Go away, Edward." This boy was really starting to irritate me. I couldn't seem to get a lick of interfering done with him around.

"You should keep your distance," he warned. "Even if you are to become friends in the future, I'm not sure that Bella will take kindly to your appearance on her date."

"Will you just shut up and watch with me? Bella's no Jessica Stanley – if I want to know how their date is going, I have to watch it myself."

To my surprise, Edward closed his mouth and sat beside me quietly. Together, we watched Tyler and Austin parade into the diner to harass Mike and Bella.

"She doesn't deserve that," Edward commented quietly. I glanced sideways at him. I agreed, but their teasing was mostly harmless, in my opinion. There was an undertone in Edward's voice that seemed angry, almost protective. We sat in silence again until Mike tried out some of his moves.

"Look at him – trying to use his lines on her." Edward ground his teeth together. I didn't see why he was so bothered; Mike was famous for going through the same routine with every girl he took out. Amusingly, Bella seemed unreceptive – not because she was uninterested, but because she didn't seem to realize that he was putting on the moves at all.

Mike seemed frustrated by this, and an awkward silence ensued until Bella suggested that they go. We would have followed, too, had it not been at that very moment that Edward heard something in Mike's mind that he didn't like, and fell lightly to the ground, ready and waiting for their descent from the diner. To do what exactly, I didn't know.

Thoroughly annoyed, I followed and grabbed his arm. "You can't go near them," I hissed. "What if Bella sees us?"

Edward ignored me, until the two came down the diner steps. He stepped quickly into shadow, watching them carefully as I watched him. Newton looked uneasy, like he'd forgotten something. Staring at him, I searched his future to see if he would be missing anything. He wouldn't. Perhaps it was just that uncomfortable feeling of being watched.

He looked over at us. Oops. Actually, he looked at Edward; I was shrouded in shadow enough that his eyes slid over me. Having encountered Tyler and Austin when I'd first arrived, I made sure to keep my distance thereafter from any humans that were acquainted with Bella.

I watched Edward's shoulders tense, but it seemed as though Mike had decided not to disclose his observation to Bella. Most likely, he didn't like the competition that a Cullen would bring. Mike's boyish bubblegum cuteness paled in comparison to the raw dazzle of a Cullen's beauty, modestly speaking.

Even though Bella was oblivious to our presence, there was no way that I could continue to follow them now. Another spotting by Mike and the game was up. I turned on Edward, thoroughly irritated that he had spoiled my chance at monitoring the progress of their date.

I kept my thoughts carefully reserved until we were speeding back home, safe in the shelter of the vacant woods. My punch caught him unawares and sent him flying into the base of a towering spruce. Though it didn't even leave a scratch, it definitely damaged his pride. Good.

* * *

I watched Edward flick his car keys morosely. We had been sitting in the student lot for a good minute now. In vampire time, _hours_. I could feel Jasper getting shifty in the backseat.

"Alright, you," I jabbed Edward in the shoulder with a perfectly pointed fingernail. He didn't flinch, or move at all, so I opened his car door for him. "Out you go."

Emmett was past restraint at this point, and let out a hearty guffaw. "Yeah, bro," he joked. "Better not be late for class – I'd hate to see what Esme'd do to you if the school called and told her you were skipping."

"The school would never suspect a Cullen of that," Edward muttered.

"Whatever, no skipping," I growled. "You are going to march straight to homeroom, mister, and go through your day without a complaint. And if you are not perfectly civil to Bella, believe me, I will know."

With a long-suffering sigh, he rose gracefully from his seat and slouched through the rain toward the school. Jasper and Emmett exchanged covert bets on how long he would last and how I would punish him when he failed, until Rosalie pulled up and Emmett sidled quickly to her BMW.

As he hit the sidewalk, Edward glanced back at me, reproachful and uncertain.

"Play nice with the other kids," I smirked at him, ignoring his dirty glare. When he had gone, I leaned heavily into Jasper, fake sniffing as loudly as any mother with her first kindergartener. "Our little Edward is growing up."


	7. Denial

**Chapter Seven: Denial**

If my eyes hadn't been trained on the bronze-haired vision of male beauty in front of me, they would have been busy sweeping the floor in search of my lower jaw. I shut my mouth with a snap, chagrined to realize that I had been gaping at my prodigal lab partner like an idiot. Fortunately for me, he seemed to be looking everywhere but at me.

Or not so fortunately.

I realized, heart sinking, that his efforts to keep a distance between us might mean that he was still harboring that strange, unfounded dislike for me. To add evidence to my theory, he moved fluidly to our shared desk and slid into his chair with a perfunctory nod, occupying the space farthest from me.

_Please don't cry, please don't cry, please don't cry,_ I chanted silently. Though this was nowhere near as awful as his unspoken fury that first day, I was still confused and hurt by this further rejection, and my irritation manifested itself in salt water form.

And then, the low melodic voice spoke.

"Hello, my name is Edward."

I knew it wasn't Mr. Banner speaking. That much was obvious from the statement alone, not to mention the fact that Mr. Banner's voice often sounded as though he had inhaled a great deal of saw dust each morning. Still, I kept my eyes on the board, hoping that I wouldn't have to look at the youngest Cullen while they were half-filled with tears.

My neck twitched involuntarily as my two instincts – to look at Edward Cullen's face, and to hide my own – warred with each other. How embarrassing. With a sigh, I decided that looking straight at him couldn't possibly be worse, so I turned.

What little breath I had been holding left my lungs with a _whoosh_. He was that much more attractive close up. I had sort of talked myself into thinking that he was one of those guys who looked better from a distance, but I was so very wrong. Edward's good looks begged for intimacy.

I shook my head, more than a little annoyed at my own thoughts. I was losing it over some high school boy. A high school boy who seemed to loathe me, no less. A dazzling, deliciously-smelling high school boy…

"I'm Bella," I murmured, completely mortified as I watched the mix of amusement and control congeal in his amber-colored eyes.

"Bella," he repeated, taking it almost as a question, an uncertain fact.

I turned my eyes unwillingly back to my genotyping notes, waiting for him to speak again. I had no talent for small talk.

Neither, it appeared, did he. Edward just leaned back in his chair after I broke eye contact, never moving, never making a sound. I watched him from behind my curtain of hair. When Alice had told me that it was my most useful accessory, I had silently agreed, though not because I could 'do anything with it' like she'd said. My sheet of hair was a one-way window.

He didn't take notes, he didn't follow the lecture on the board, but the one time Mr. Banner called on him, he answered with immediate perfection. He closed eyes most of the time, as if fighting off pain, but every now and again he would open them lazily for a few seconds.

Several times I could have sworn that he had glanced at me, but he looked away so quickly that I knew I was deluding myself. How pitiful. I _wanted_ him to look at me.

I wasn't sure to be glad or anxious when, in a rare bout of generosity, Mr. Banner gave us the last fifteen minutes of fourth period to talk. I looked uncertainly at Edward, to find him doodling in the margins of his paper. His doodles were nothing like mine; they didn't even belong in the same category.

Where my scribbles and organic shapes filled the margins of my notes, punctuated every now and then by a lopsided flower, he used his scrap paper as a canvas. A perfect expanse of Forks forest spread from his pen tip, the setting for a deer as it leapt over a fallen log, captured as it moved fleetingly over the mossy brush. I was stunned by the realism in his sketch. His talent was unbelievable.

So much so, I found myself voicing my opinions before my brain had truly recovered from the shock of his skill.

"Your drawing is…amazing," I mumbled, blushing scarlet.

Edward looked up at me in surprise at the compliment, and there was no revulsion in his eyes. At least, none that I could detect. He opened his mouth slightly to speak – my eyes moved to the perfect bow shape of his lips – but then my stomach rumbled.

Great. I became impossibly redder as I recalled how I had eaten exactly nothing outside of a soda for lunch last period. It wasn't my fault; I'd spent all period by Mike's side, being harassed by the others – Jessica in particular – for details about our date. Then, to top things off, I'd noticed Edward's reappearance at the Cullen table, and my appetite had fled completely. I still couldn't fathom why I was so surprised that he was sitting next to me now; somehow, I didn't connect his presence in the lunchroom to his presence in Biology.

Edward was laughing discreetly at my embarrassing hunger. I glared at him through my mortification. It was one thing for me to make a fool out of myself, but it was another for him to take such amusement out of it.

"What," I scoffed "like you've never been hungry?"

That brought him up short. He stopped smiling, and I was afraid that I'd offended him somehow. I noticed, as I looked into his face, that his eyes were gold, burning honey where they'd last been black. I wanted to ask him about the change, but I was too worried that he wouldn't have reason enough to talk to me at all, now.

"Your boyfriend seems to think I'm being unpleasant to you," he told me quietly, and unexpectedly.

"Who?" I blurted in confusion, dazed by the unusual perfection of his face.

Edward nodded over my shoulder to a few rows in front and to the right of us, where Mike was watching us with an unhappy expression.

"Oh," I turned violet. "He isn't my boyfriend…exactly."

"Really?" Edward actually appeared interested in my statement, at least compared to the utter indifference with which he seemed to treat everyone and everything else at Forks High. "That's not what I hear," he smirked.

"I don't know what you hear," I answered hotly "or who you hear it from, but I'm sure you're wrong."

Edward's perfect mouth twisted into a smirk. Just as I was contemplating a further retort, since my first one hadn't had the intended effect, a shadow fell over our lab table.

"Hey Bells,"

"Hi, Mike," I sighed, turning in my seat to look up at him. Only my dad had the authority to call me Bells. Though our date had gone well enough, I didn't feel that Mike and I had the kind of intimacy that nicknames entailed. Apparently Edward agreed, because he stopped smiling.

Mike seemed unsure whether or not to acknowledge my newly returned lab partner. He seemed to be wishing that I was still at a table by myself.

"Hey Cullen," he blurted, giving one jerky nod.

Edward returned the nod fluidly, inclining his head slightly, as he intoned, "Newton." His tone was perfectly neutral, but Mike seemed to take some sort of threat from it, because he seemed nervous as he turned back to me.

"So, Bella, are you busy after school? Because I was thinking we could go back to my place."

I was surprised, but I thought I did a fair job of keeping my face smooth and unruffled. Fortunately, I honestly had a lot of work to do, so I wouldn't have to find an excuse to make with my refusal. Besides, a little voice in the back of my head cautioned that his offer was only made as a bizarre attempt to stake his claim on me.

"Sorry, Mike. I have a big Trig test tomorrow, so I'll be studying all night."

"Oh," he said, clearly disappointed. "We could study together," he suggested.

"I do best on my own," I told him, a little less gently than I might've had Edward not been sitting next to me. I felt compelled to prove him wrong.

"Fine," Mike said sullenly. "Then can I at least meet you at your truck after school?"

"You'll see me in gym next period," I reminded him severely "but sure. You can meet me at my truck. I'll be driving right home though." _So I won't be waiting around_, I added mentally.

The bell rang then, and I experienced fleeting disappointment that Mike had interrupted my rare talk with Edward. Mike had to return to his seat to get his backpack before he could walk me to gym, so I looked back at Edward.

A bronze eyebrow was arched high in the expanse of his marble forehead. I supposed to him, my little interaction with Mike had been as good as Exhibit A in terms of evidence for his argument.

"He's not my boyfriend," I repeated sharply, lowering my voice to a hiss in case Mike reappeared at my desk any time soon.

Edward's mouth contorted in silent laughter, but he seemed to take me seriously. As Mike took my books from my hands and followed me toward the door, Edward remained in his seat. The moment I had stood up, my hair swishing forward to cover my face as I gathered all my stuff in my arms, I could have sworn I heard him mutter, "Good."


	8. Awkward

**Hello! I have a challenge for anyone interested: I was rereading the series while I was sick all week, and I'd forgotten how much Bella uses Mike as a comparison to her other relationships ("I'd rather die than be with Mike Newton," "Well, that just sucks. I guess I'm stuck with Mike Newton after all,"etc.) Anyway, if you have a favorite Mike-related quote, I'll try to incorporate it :)**

**Additionally, I might be a little slow in my replies this weekend because A) I'm sick and B) I'm going to a Muse concert!**

**Enough from me - enjoy!**

**Chapter Eight: Awkward**

**BPOV**

I soon forgot my irritation with Mike when he saved me from being hit with a basketball.

"Thanks," I gasped, pushing my hair out of my face. The existence of gym class was how I knew that there was a hell. That was half the motivation for my boringly straight-edge lifestyle: fear of an eternity of P.E.

"No problem," he panted, racing off to claim the ball again.

I watched Jess' eyes follow Mike before she sidled up to me.

"Soooooo," she prompted. I stifled a groan, and tried to keep from glancing toward the exits. I wonder if I could somehow get a hold of the ball and accidentally-on-purpose hit the fire alarm with it. I sighed. My aim wasn't that good.

"Hey Jess," I said glumly.

"How was your date?" Her poor attempt to downplay her raging curiosity would have been funny, if it wasn't directed at me.

"It was okay. Nothing happened," I assured her. She looked visibly relieved; though she'd already heard as much at lunch, she seemed to take my word for it one-on-one.

"Did you want it to happen?" she asked suspiciously.

"Not really," I admitted. "But don't tell anyone I said that," I added hastily.

Solemn-faced, she held up her right hand and crossed her index and middle fingers, presumably mistaking it for the Girl Scout's honor sign. "You can trust me," she promised. I tried to ignore the irony.

When I provided no further information, Jess tossed out another question, or demand, really.

"Describe the date in one word."

"Awkward," I muttered, half a second before my filter kicked in. "I mean, nice. Awkward-nice." Well done, Bella. Jessica – 1, Bella – 0.

Her dark eyes narrowed shrewdly as she tried to decipher the meaning behind my not-so-cryptic flub. I still wasn't sure of how I felt about Mike, and although I had seen some of his finer points, all of this attention being paid to my feelings and his feelings about the date wasn't really helping his prospects.

Fortunately – or more aptly, inevitably – another ball slipped past Mike's defenses to conk me on the head. Though he apologized profusely for not being a better guard, I was secretly happy to have an excuse to leave Jessica and go change early, since I refused an icepack.

As a result, I was the first one out of the building, and I briefly considered driving straight home to escape everyone, before I realized that girls like me didn't leave people in the lurch. Besides, Mike had his good points. I couldn't just dump him like a piece of trash.

The sight of Edward Cullen leaning casually against the brick wall of the gym brought me up short. "He's not my boyfriend," I blurted childishly, for the umpteenth time that day. Edward grinned as he straightened upright, moving to my side as I walked toward the parking lot.

"Me think the lady doth protest too much."

I groaned. "Drop it, Edward – I don't even like him that way." I froze, surprised by my own outburst. I pivoted to make sure no one else was remotely within hearing distance. "I didn't mean that," I whispered "well, not mostly. Partially. I mean…what?"

Edward seemed just as bemused by my ramblings. "That's a shame," he murmured. "Poor Mike certainly does seem to like you 'that way'. Jessica Stanley is under the impression that he intends to make a move on you at your truck."

"How – how do you know that?" I demanded.

He shrugged, offering no more answer than a half-smile.

"Well, that's just…stupid. I mean…normal. I mean…oh, for Pete's sake, I don't know _what_ I mean. Stop doing that!" I griped, swinging my body around furiously to face him, and stumbling in the process.

Edward's long arms shot out and caught me, holding me securely against the bed of my truck, which I hadn't even realized we'd reached. "Do what?" he smirked.

I glowered as he set me back on my feet, half lost in the feel of his muscular arms as they had contorted around me, the barest patches of our skin touching with electrical effect, like cold.

He glanced away from me, back to the school, as if called. The doors to the gym opened and Mike came out, swinging a heavy duffel bag. He hadn't spotted us yet, but I knew that true to his promise, he would be making a beeline for me.

"I should go," Edward said softly, placing one of my fallen books into my hand. I hadn't noticed it falling when I had; Edward must have caught it at the same time.

"'kay," I breathed, almost reluctantly. I blew at a strand of hair that had stuck to my uncharacteristically applied lip gloss. The corner of Edward's mouth twitched as I gave up and just moved it with my fingers.

"Enjoy your afternoon, Bella,"

I watched him walk smoothly away into the woods, and jumped when Mike appeared next to my shoulder.

"Whatcha lookin' at, Bells?"

"Nothing…there was a squirrel." I cursed myself inwardly for my clear inability to produce a half-way decent lie.

"Must've been some squirrel," he commented, looking at me like I was crazy before laughing and ruffling my hair. I didn't like people ruffling my hair. It was a privilege only one person had, and that person was Charlie Swan. Still, I was glad Mike bought my stupid fib, so I let him.

"So, Bella, since you have so much work, I thought I'd give you something to remember me by."

"Oh?" I was ambivalent about anything Mike could give me. The thing I hated most about gifts was the expectation to reciprocate; sometimes, it was out of my control.

"I just want you to know, that I think you're a really special girl, Bella. It's true what they say that when a guy really likes a girl, he can spend hours practicing what he's going to say, and then forget it as soon as he's with her. But I won't forget this," he assured me as he leaned in to kiss me.

I sincerely hoped that Edward Cullen had gotten into his stupid, shiny Volvo, and driven far, far away. The thought of him bearing witness to this event was too horrible for words.

Mike's lips met mine once, twice, three times, so quickly I couldn't really judge the quality of the experience, only the quantity. I could, however, feel the slight burn of his stubble where he'd neglected to shave, and smell the slightly overpowering scent of his cologne.

"Three's not a good number, let's go for four," he panted. I tried very, very hard not to roll my eyes or wince. And then it was done.

I knew Mike wanted to kiss me, but somehow I felt that the timing was more out of pressure from Tyler and Austin than romance. It was awkward, and short, and the whole time I kept wondering when it would be over. Though I had never been a tiara and barbies sort of girl, my favorite stories were the classic romances: _Wuthering Heights, Jane Austen, Romeo and Juliet_…I couldn't help thinking that this shouldn't have been what my first kiss was like.

I thought of Edward Cullen, of his disarming eyes and crooked smile, and I wondered what his lips on mine would be like. I smiled as I slid into the driver's seat of my truck, looking right through Mike as he said goodbye.

I was so going to P.E. hell.

**A/N - I hope you liked this chapter! Reviews would be really nice...**


	9. Shocked

**A/N Hey guys, I hope all is going well! Just wanted to mention that my birthday is next week, and a review would be a perfect present...**

**BPOV**

**Chapter Nine: Shocked**

To my everlasting surprise, I became Mike Newton's girlfriend the very next day.

It was very quick, and so subtle that I hadn't even realized the significance until after it happened. When I'd pulled up to school in my red Chevy, head buried in my trig notes for some final cramming, Mike had been waiting for me.

He walked me into school, and in the middle of the parking lot, he took my hand.

Later, I recognized the strategy in his move, as I recalled all the pairs of eyes that had been focused on different things, and then all moved in our direction with his action. In Forks, Mr. Popular-dates-New Girl was about as good as the gossip got, short of teacher relationships. Though after the alleged break up of Mrs. Cope and Mr. Varner, it was the general assumption that none of the other faculty were likely to try such a thing again soon.

The first two pairs of eyes to find our interlocking hands were the worst. Edward was standing with his family off to the side of the science building, but as soon as we were within twenty feet, he casually swiveled to face us. When he saw our hands, his eyes went very wide, wider than I'd seen them yet. In the second his eyes flashed to my face, I noticed that they were an even brighter gold than the day before. Brighter than any human's could be.

Jessica, who had been watching Edward, of course looked at us when he did. Her eyes also got to be about the size of dinner plates, but her surprise was a mix of incredulity and hurt. I sighed, wishing I could tug my hand out of Mike's, which was getting a little sweaty. I couldn't embarrass him in front of half the school like that, though.

Alice's post-girlfriend-aquisitionship analysis was half admiring as she explained his tactic to me. Completely inexperienced, I'd had no idea that relationships could so easily resemble warfare. Luckily, as soon as I set foot on the pavement, Alice had flitted to my side without a glance at Mike or our hands.

Mike dropped my hand out of his own surprise, presumably because he had never been in such close proximity with a Cullen before, excepting when he'd come to my lab bench yesterday. Being close to a Cullen, without practice, was a little like being tasered, but in a good way. I was very thankful that I had been conditioned through my time spent with Alice, so I wasn't a complete moron when Edward had returned, emphasis on the word complete.

She stole me away with a detailed yet simple explanation to Mike about a 'project' we had due that we really, really needed to work on.

"Okay, _what_ is going on?" Alice pushed me gently inside the girl's bathroom for what was starting to look like the second Spanish Inquisition. She scanned the bottom of all the stalls to check for occupants, and when satisfied leaned against a sink and looked intently at me.

I backed up against the concrete wall. "I don't know," I mumbled.

Alice looked hurt. "Bella," she said, eyes widening with each syllable "you don't trust me? I thought we were friends." Her lip quivered – whether naturally or on purpose I couldn't tell, it was so convincingly done.

"Of course I trust you," I assured her quickly. "There's just nothing to tell."

"Then why are you suddenly Newton's girlfriend?" she demanded with narrowed eyes. I was taken aback – things were starting to feel very good cop/ bad cop.

"Hey, I was just as surprised as anyone else," I protested. "It's not like he told me, or anything. He just grabbed my hand in the parking lot, and apparently, that means we're going out!"

"He didn't even ask you to be his girlfriend?" she gasped.

I shook my head, feeling glad for once that there was someone I could vent to. I was usually the bottling type, but since I'd arrived in Forks, I'd needed much more than one bottle. "Not even close."

Alice had a thing or two to say about that. A fairly explicit thing or two. She paused in her vilification of Mike's unchivalrous behavior to volley off another question.

"Well, did he at least kiss you?"

I blushed. Horribly. My eyes ran over the stalls a second time to ensure that no one else was listening before I replied. "Yesterday. In the parking lot, by my truck."

"BY YOUR TRUCK? Oh, that's _real_ romantic," she scoffed.

_I know_, I wanted to shout, and hug her for understanding. But Alice was the hugger, not me, and I was too worried that her little outburst had attracted attention. "Shhhh," I hissed.

"First kiss in the student parking lot of Forks High School. Well, there have been worse, I suppose," she muttered, shaking her head.

"Yeah." The thing was, a little part of me thought that I wouldn't even have minded the location or the timing if it was another person…

There was a discreet knock on the door that startled and puzzled me; the bathrooms were public. And then a voice that made my face burst into seven different shades of flame.

"Alice, you can't keep her in there forever. The second bell is about to ring. You'll make Bella late."

I wasn't sure whether to be touched or mortified by Edward's concern. Alice was certainly neither; looking livid, she stalked to the door and they exchanged hissed words. The only phrase I caught was, "of all the meddlesome brothers" before Alice noticed me watching.

"You can come out now, Bella." Alice's voice was even, but as I passed her, I could tell that our little chat was far from over. School was merely the halftime show.

Sadly, everything, including the floor, seemed to be conspiring against me today. My first step out of the bathroom landed in a puddle of melted snow, making the linoleum slick and dangerous. I felt the air whooshing past me as I fell, and nearly had the time to sigh. Of course I had to fall in front of Edward. It couldn't have been anyone else.

Something smooth, cold, and strong folded around my hand midway through my descent. His hand. Edward pulled me swiftly upright and I stumbled into him a little, my books cascading everywhere. Through my mortification and relief, my surprise was paramount. My heart was beating so hard, and I was touching his skin, and my head was so close to his chest that I should have been able to hear his heartbeat. There was nothing.

He moved quickly away, scooping up all of my scattered things with a single swoop. His expression was wary as he handed them to me, careful now that our hands didn't touch. I was afraid that my klutziness had scared him off, that we couldn't be friends, or whatever we were.

Then he smiled. "Be careful, Bella."

His grace and beauty as he passed through the hallway, his stunning reflexes, his cold pale skin that held no pulse all reminded me of Jacob Black's tale of the Cold Ones. And though I finally believed, I was not afraid.


	10. Decision

**A/N Hi all! Chapter Ten - I'm really excited about this one, because this is when things start to change, as people figure out what they really want. I hope you're all having a lovely spring, and many thanks to those that reviewed!**

**Chapter Ten: Decision**

**APOV**

"Did you fail to see this, or were you just withholding it from me?"

Edward's expression was cool as I faced him, still slightly miffed that he'd interrupted my chat with Bella. So what if she was late for class? There were more important things at stake, such as true love, and the eternal happiness of my brother.

"You see into my head, how could I be withholding anything?" I snapped. The truth was, I actually hadn't seen Bella becoming Mike's girlfriend. I thought that as soon as Edward returned, Bella and my brother would pick up where my visions left off. It was clear that she was mesmerized by Edward, but she was either too scared or too responsible to act on it, and now she felt like she had some ridiculous duty toward Mike, just because he bought her a burger. My plan had been virtually flawless, but I hadn't bargained on Bella being such a complete pushover.

"Besides, why do _you_ care," I huffed, watching him shrewdly. Since he'd ruined Bella's confession session, the least he could do was to give me some of his own goods.

Edward said nothing, and I smiled like the Cheshire cat. His silence was all the response I needed. You _like_ her, _you like her, you liiiike her_, I chanted inside my head.

He growled. Oops. In my excitement I'd forgotten that he could hear me.

We entered the lunchroom, buzzing with gossip about Fork's latest couple, and we took our seats with the others. As we passed Bella, I noticed that she was a very interesting shade of strawberry. She was trying very hard not to look at us, I could tell, but she failed multiple times, glancing over at Edward and turning maroon every time I caught her.

Fortunately for her, both Edward and Mike thought she was looking at me, though I knew better. After her fifth less-than-subtle peek, Mike asked her how our project was going. Her coloring progressed amusingly to burgundy, as she muttered that it was just fine. Jessica watched the entire exchange suspiciously.

"Jessica's looking at Bella like a hawk that's spotted a field mouse," I murmured, looking at a square ceiling tile. Emmett guffawed, and Rosalie smacked his arm. Jasper continued playing with my hair serenely, but Edward's eyes snapped to mine, filled with jealousy, protectiveness, and feigned disinterest.

"So I heard," he replied. "She's always been desperate for Mike, that one."

"Poor thing," I commented with a half smile, realizing that we were about to continue our earlier conversation even with the others sitting here. This should be fun.

_Is she going to trip her?_

He shook his head.

_Gossip about her?_

Half a nod; the corner of his mouth twitched. Yes, but that isn't all.

_Gang up on her in the gym locker room with Lauren and torture her mercilessly?_

Bingo.

_What are you going to do about it?_

He looked at me blankly, keeping his face perfectly smooth as he looked at our siblings to see if they were paying attention. Rose and Emmett's hands were a little preoccupied in the corner under the table, and Jasper was busy trying to ward off the intensity of emotion they were throwing at him. In his struggle, his hand curved around my thigh and neck a couple of times, but other than that I was able to carry on with Edward in peace.

_Oh, don't play stupid with me,_ I warned. _You've got it bad, boy. You care about Bella, and that saving-people complex you've got is just dying to be the knight in shining armor to her damsel in distress._

His eyes narrowed infinitesimally. He had no way to retort without drawing the attention of the others, until interestingly he found a way. If Edward made a decision to say a certain thing, I could look a few seconds into the future and hear it, and then he could change his mind before the words actually left his mouth.

_Fine. Let's say that hypothetically, I am attracted to Bella. That's a bit of a problem, seeing as she has a boyfriend, isn't it?_

_Oh, please. Bring me a hard one, next time, won't you? Bella and Mike so obviously do not belong together. Look for yourself – she doesn't even like him. She's just too nice to say no_.

We both glanced over to where Mike and Bella sat. His arm was draped possessively around her shoulders and she stared at her food in extreme discomfort while all the other occupants of the table pretended not to stare at her.

_Yes, she said so, _he admitted. _But as a human, maybe he does belong with her. He's harmless enough, aside from being a prick. Let's say hypothetically that I like her. How could I reconcile the desire to be with her and the desire for her happiness? Those two don't mix, Alice. As long as I was with her, she would be in danger._

I rolled my eyes_. Bella is in danger every day, thanks to her own two feet. You have enough strength and control that any threat you would pose to her would be minimal. I'm not saying it would be easy, but you two have a beautiful fu-_

_I thought this was hypothetical,_ he interrupted, glaring.

_Maybe, maybe not,_ I smirked.

He growled suddenly, surprising me, and making the others glance up for a second, before they resumed their respective…activities.

_What did I do?_ I wondered.

_Not you…Newton. He's seriously getting on my nerves_.

_Oh, is he giving you play-by-play from yesterday?_

That brought him up short. _What happened yesterday?_

_Oh, Mike just kissed her by her truck after you left. It was awful, apparently_. I was not insensitive to the way his hand curled around his unopened soda, puncturing it in several places. Before I could complain about the brown liquid shooting in little streams across the table, I was distracted by Jasper.

Overcome by Rosalie and Emmett, he grabbed the side of my face closest to him and pressed his lips to my ear. Though he was a hundred percent free of blame, my patience didn't stretch as far as becoming a willing participant in PDA.

"Eww, Jasper, stop," I whined, and he pulled back instantly, looking utterly miserable and helpless. Poor baby. I patted his hand understandingly. It wasn't easy being a vampire pretending to be a high schooler, and then having your siblings force waves of lust on you only to get rejected by your wife.

I kicked Rosalie and Emmett under the table so that they would cut it out, and she glared at me unapologetically while Emmett offered me a sheepish grin. My conversation with Edward had come to an end, but the least I could do was berate him for nearly ruining our clothes with the soda spray.

When I looked back at him, the soda had vanished, and the table was clear, except for a shadow. Bella was standing next to us.

Her blush was vivid now, close up as it was. With my exceptional sight, I could plainly see the individual veins in her skin, and the blood that pulsed through it. By the way Edward's eyes tightened, I could tell that it wasn't helping his campaign for her survival. I was feeling pretty serene, though. If he was going to kill her, I would have seen it.

"Um, Alice," she fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable about approaching all of the Cullens, massed at one table. It was easy to tell from her face that she felt like all eyes were on her. My eyes swept quickly over the cafeteria to confirm this, and sure enough, every one from Mike to the lunch ladies was watching, some with their mouths open.

"What's up, Bella? You know, lunch is almost over, but we'd be happy to make room," I nodded toward Jasper. She would even out our numbers perfectly. If I scooted down, she could sit next to me, across from Edward. Jasper would be fine with me as buffer – besides, he still had Rosalie and Emmett to contend with, across from him.

Edward shot me an unfathomable, but fierce, look, which I ignored. Bella's eyes flickered between us.

"Oh, no," she said hastily "I don't want to bother you. I just wanted to let you know that you can come over to my house later, if you want, you know, to finish that, um…project."

Bella was a terrible liar, but I had to give her credit for the attempt.

"Great!" I favored her with my brightest smile, the one I used when I needed a favor from any human male, school administrators included. It had a different affect on her, of course, but she relaxed visibly, seeming to share some of my enthusiasm.

"I'm going to head to Bio early…I'm not sure I'm ready for tomorrow's test." She looked at Edward again, blushing, and turned to go.

"Bella," I called. She turned halfway, and every eye in the cafeteria moved with her. "You're no bother. You should sit with us tomorrow." I used the smile again.

"Sure," she mumbled, wide-eyed, before tripping out of the room.

Both Mike and Edward looked furious with me, so I knew I'd done my job.

"Alright, fresh meat," Emmett grinned.

I hadn't bargained on Rosalie's anger. She pushed Emmett away suddenly to glare at me, and he turned with a hurt and bewildered expression to face me too. Only Jasper was smiling now, glad for a few seconds of emotional freedom before the ripples of displeasure kicked in from all sides.

"Why is she sitting with us?" she hissed, flipping her hair back contemptuously. "She's a human – she's not your plaything, Alice. Have your fun, but leave us out of it."

_She'll be our sister soon,_ I wanted to say, but I had to keep my thoughts free from Edward. He was looking at me thoughtfully, as if he'd heard or guessed some of what I had hidden.

"I think," he said after a moment "that I should study for that Biology test as well." He stood and followed Bella's trail through the cafeteria door, canceling out the cost of any turmoil this business would cause within the Cullen clan.

Soon enough, she would be one of us.


	11. Open

**A/N I have to say, this is my favorite chapter so far, and I hope you like it, too. Happy Spring!**

**  
Chapter Eleven: Open**

**BPOV**

"I'm skipping Biology today."

Edward caught up to me as I made my slow, stumbling way from my locker to class. I stared up at him in surprise as he moved casually to my side.

"Why?"

As we neared the biology room, one of Edwards's hands curled around my backpack strap, careful to keep from touching my skin and steered me down a side hall, where we could talk without being spotted by Mr. Banner.

"It's healthy to ditch class now and again," he grinned. "Besides, we're doing bloodtyping today, and you could say that I don't have my father's tolerance for blood." He smiled like he was enjoying a private joke that I didn't understand. I knew that his father was a doctor…oh, right – I'd forgotten that he was supposed to be a vampire. My heart rate quickened.

My analysis of this latest revelation was interrupted by my realization that my own tolerance for blood was not high, if in a different sense from Edward's.

"Oh, no," I moaned. "You're leaving me all alone?" I thought grimly of the torture of next period, having to sit squeamish and nauseated without even the consolation prize of my lab partner's entrancing company. _Oh, well_, a little voice in my head sighed. _At least this way you don't have to worry about being sick on him or embarrassing yourself._

"No," Edward smiled gently. "A good lab partner would never abandon you in such a way. I was coming to see if you wanted to skip with me."

My eyes widened as I stared into his. They were earnest, and trustworthy…a too-convincing act. But I _wanted_ to be convinced.

"All right," I grumbled, and he seemed to chuckle under his breath. I knew my grouchiness was ridiculous, seeing as he had invited me to spend time with him, and I wasn't being forced into anything. Still, I had never skipped class before.

The goody-goody in me zoomed into frantic overdrive, trying to find a path that would keep me nausea free and my record spotless. I found nothing but Edward.

He seemed to comprehend my internal dilemma. "Listen," he said in a low voice, leaning over me in a protective sort of way, though we were alone in the hall. "You don't have to come with me if you don't want to. It's perfectly fine."

"No, I want to come," I said hastily. "I just am really bad about doing things I'm not supposed to."

He quirked an eyebrow, definitely confused. "In what way?"

I sighed. "You've never seen me pass a note, have you? I either get so nervous that I throw it when I think no one's looking and hit someone else by mistake, or I convince myself not to bother at all. Then, whether I've passed the note or not, I turn bright red and get this horribly guilty expression. And that's not even close to skipping. I'm a chicken," I admitted.

His hand passed over his eyes, into his tousled bronze hair. I could tell that he was trying very hard not to laugh at me.

"I can fix that," he promised me.

"You can?" I blinked up at him, startled when the bell rang and students began milling around us like confetti in a snow globe.

"Follow me."

Edward took off at a walk down the hallway, but I had to hurry to keep up with every one of his brisk strides. I was surprised when we turned off at the office, rather than the science complex.

"What are you doing?" I hissed, stopping at the door. "I thought we were skipping, not turning ourselves in!"

Looking amused, he looped his fingers through my backpack and tugged me toward him. "A little faith, please?" he asked softly.

He was impossible to doubt. I put my faith in him, better judgment aside, and allowed him to lead me into the office.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Cope."

The middleaged secretary flushed as she looked up at us. I wondered if it was because she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't have, before I realized that her excitement was probably an effect of being in Edward's presence. It seemed no female, no matter what age, was safe from the fallout of Edward's charm.

"What can I do for you, Edward?" she tittered. Did I imagine the double meaning in her words?

"Mrs. Cope, I'm sorry to bother you, but Bella's feeling rather ill."

She glanced toward me for the first time, and I took my cue belatedly, coughing weakly into my palm. It was a very good thing I had Edward to rely on in this, because my pitiful skill alone would have gotten us caught three times over.

"Oh, it's no bother, dear, no bother at all! Shall I call the nurse?" If she wasn't so busy staring at him, she might have been confused about why Edward had brought me here instead of the school clinic.

"Actually, Mrs. Cope, I think Bella needs to go home. I want to make sure she gets home safely. Since the period hasn't started, we didn't get a chance to check in with Mr. Banner yet – I was wondering if you'd be kind enough to notify him where we've gone?"

The extra velvet edge in his tone was unnecessary. Edward's voice was ridiculously irresistible as it was – when he was trying to be persuasive, it was over the top. After all, he'd managed to talk me, goody-two-shoes Bella, into skipping class. Not just skipping, either. I understood now that we were going to leave school property.

"Of course I could do that," she purred. "So sweet of you to take care of Bella like that. I'll be sure to let Bob – Mr. Banner – know." I worried for about a fraction of a second about what Mr. Banner would think when Mrs. Cope told him we'd both gone, before I realized the brilliance of Edward's plan. Mr. Banner would be so distracted by the awkwardness of having to talk to Mrs. Cope during their recent-post-breakup phase that he wouldn't mind our absence at all.

"Thank you so much," Edward's smile was dazzling.

After hardly a minute of charming Mrs. Cope, he led me out of the office, away from the school, and away from the careful path my life should have taken.

It was only now, sitting in the passenger seat of his Volvo, that I really absorbed the significance of my actions, and his. To anyone else, we would seem like a couple of friends ditching class. In truth, he was a vampire, and I was just a girl who knew too much. I wondered how much he suspected of what I knew.

I'd had so much trouble coming to terms with what he was at all. After all, I'd never received confirmation from him directly, but everything about him told me that the story was true. In the sun, in the light of my bedroom, it was easy to laugh at myself, to talk myself out of such ridiculous beliefs. When I was alone, I could convince myself that I had exaggerated Edward's magnificence, that it was all an illusion.

In person, though…he was everything. I couldn't _not_ believe.

And if Edward was a vampire…I didn't care. Well, I cared, but it wouldn't stop me from wanting to know him, from wanting to be with him, and Alice.

So I sat next to him in the light interior of the car, watching the dripping branches of the pines pass in slow motion out my window, as we left my careful life behind.

I trusted Edward. I felt safe with him. I knew that nothing bad would happen to me while I put myself in his hands. Still…none of that added up to careful. The careful thing to do would be to go back to school and pretend like I'd never left. To sit by Mike, maybe, and let him help me to the nurse when the smell of blood became too much.

Despite what he was, I was perfectly safe with Edward, but I was also perfectly reckless. Skipping class wasn't usually the gateway to a life of crime, but I still felt something momentous in the act. Like my simple act of faith had been an essential choice.

"Where are we going?" I finally got up the courage to ask.

"Someplace I like to go when I need to get away."

I glanced sideways at him, surprised by his apparent honesty. I hadn't really expected him to answer. In any case, what would _he_ need to get away from?

"We're here," he murmured. We pulled off on the shoulder of the road, a dead end now, but Edward made no effort to get out. He stared down at his hands like he was thinking very hard about something.

My breathing hitched as I realized again that we were alone, in total isolation, and if Edward wanted to kill me now, he could do it with little trouble. I didn't believe that he _wanted_ to kill me, but I wasn't sure how these things worked. Maybe his need for blood was like breathing to me. Maybe he had no choice in the matter.

My instinct told me to stay still, knowing that he was about to make a choice.

I held my breath as his head picked up suddenly; I stared straight ahead, not wanting to watch my own death, if that was what was coming. A smaller part of my brain buzzed in anticipation, finding another significance in his hesitance – would he kiss me? I shivered, letting my eyes flutter closed as he leaned toward me; I could feel his electricity, arctic air rolled off his skin onto mine.

Edward reached across me and flipped the latch on my window. I blinked at him, and he stared back with those penetrating golden eyes, silhouetted by his long lashes. At last, he quirked a crooked smile and leaned away.

"Door's open."


	12. Secret

**A/N - Happy Passover/Easter! I like reviews more than chocolate eggs...(hint, hint) :)**

**No pressure.**

**P.S. - in case you forgot, Bella and Edward are skipping Bio and are in the woods**

**Chapter Twelve: Secret**

**BPOV**

We walked for what I guessed to be fifteen minutes. I wasn't sure what I had been expecting when Edward had asked me to skip Biology with him, but it certainly wasn't this. School seemed miles away now, and only a vague worry gnawed at my stomach over the possibility that we would end up skipping more than Biology.

I had bigger concerns, such as whether he had brought me here to make me a victim, or wanted to become more than friends. The first was unlikely – not that he couldn't do it, but because I felt safe with him, and the second was purely wishful thinking.

When I'd first arrived in Forks, I had spent weeks grumbling internally about the infernal greenness of everything. Now, I could see the beauty of it. The rain slowed to a drizzle and stopped, leaving us in a dimly lit world of subtle silvery light from the clouds. It wasn't enough to illuminate our skin, but it did set a dull sparkle streaking across the rain-flecked foliage. Walking – or more accurately, stumbling along – next to Edward, I could appreciate the loveliness of the forest.

I couldn't understand why so much walking was necessary. It irritated me – tripping over roots, and my own feet on occasion. Even if Edward _did_ happen to keep me from sprawling on the ground, if he was going to kill me, he could have at least done it a little closer to the car. And if his intention wasn't to kill me, who skips school to go _hiking_?

Edward's smile came more frequently now, though we hardly spoke as I concentrated on finding safe places for my feet. I was sure he found my clumsiness amusing, though I couldn't altogether say that I minded every time his hands shot out to grab me around the waist or shoulder, keeping me from going horizontal.

"What is this place?" I finally worked up the nerve to ask.

He smiled. "I told you – someplace I like to come to be alone."

"You're not alone right now," I pointed out huffily. Not quite sure what he was trying to say, I was starting to feel defensive.

Edward said nothing, but his grin broadened. "We're here."

As if through divine intervention, the sky cleared the moment we stepped out of the woods into a broad, circular meadow. "It's beautiful," I gasped. And it was. Even without sunlight, the green grass glistened with raindrops, and the wildflowers shone.

It seemed to me to be some place from a dream, or images I'd formed in my head while reading my favorite books. I could easily understand why he would come here to think, and why he would keep such a place a secret. What I couldn't understand was why he would choose to reveal it to me.

I could think of no subtle, tactful way to ask him, so I settled for bluntness. "Why did you bring me here?"

He shrugged. "I thought you'd like it. You _did_ say it was beautiful," he reminded me.

I swallowed my frustration, knowing that he wouldn't give me any more for now.

"Come on," he took the cuff of my sleeve and towed me toward the center of the meadow without touching me. Though the air was somewhat chilly, he whipped off his jacket and spread it on the damp ground, gesturing for me to sit.

Hesitantly, I sank down beside him. We were closer than we'd ever been, Biology class included. At our lab table, Edward usually sat as far from me as possible, but now he seemed unperturbed by my proximity. He closed his eyes, and I watched him for a moment, marveling at the pale grace of his features. I had the strangest impulse to reach out and touch him - to stroke his cheek, his eyelids, trace his lips - but I couldn't bring myself to act on it.

"Edward –"

"Shhh," he murmured. "Keep very still."

I closed my mouth in surprise, and did what he asked. I couldn't match his patience – he was like a statue. I had to remind myself that it wasn't fair to compare myself to him – he had the advantage of being supernatural. Remembering this, I was more confused by his simple serenity than ever.

Adrenaline tingled through my fingertips as I reached out my hand to touch him, questioning him in silence. I rested my hand on his arm for a moment and he sighed, shivering slightly. His eyes flickered open and charmed me into silence again, just as I was about to ask him something. Looking at him, though, I couldn't remember the question.

_Wait_, he implored me, and hummed a soft, musical note. I bit my lip in further confusion, wondering why I had to be so still for him to sing. A moment later, his eyes opened again, and I followed his gaze to a doe that emerged from the trees, stepping hesitantly toward us across the clearing. On the other side of the meadow, a pair of sparrows took flight, swinging in a wide arc around the circle before hovering just above our heads. I gaped at him. It was like a scene straight out of _Snow White_, or _Cinderella._

"Wow," I breathed, breaking the spell. The birds wheeled away at my sudden noise, and the doe scampered back into the darkness. I clamped a hand over my mouth and blushed. "Sorry," I whispered.

Edward chuckled. "You're not really patient, are you?"

"Not really, no. I don't like secrets, either," I hinted. He was no longer smiling, but his expression was composed as he looked at me.

"Most people don't. Not unless they know, anyway."

"Why me?"

He looked down at his hands, and I reached out again, bolder this time, enfolding my fingers in his. He started to pull away, but I didn't let him. I held his one hand firmly between my two smaller ones.

"Your skin's not as cold when you're outside," I noted. A bird called from the trees, reminding me of his amazing feat. "How did you do that, anyway?" I wondered. Edward looked confused, so I clarified. "The feat with the animals."

"I can be compelling. World's best predator," he teased lightly. He seemed more comfortable now, and he reached up with his free hand to push some of my loose hair behind my ear. "I find…" he hesitated. "You are easier to be with than I thought."

_Thanks so much_, I wanted to grumble, but I was too worried that he would stop talking if I did.

"You're not like the others," Edward told me. "You're not so easy to understand, and yet…" he trailed off, and no amount of waiting could get him to finish his thought.

"You're unlike anyone I've ever known either," I told him, blushing profusely. "but I don't pretend to understand you in the slightest."

"thank goodness for that," he laughed. "You're a terrible liar – I imagine it woukd be quite amusing to watch you pretend anything."

The grayness of the air lightened considerably as a warmer breeze picked up, pushing the clouds into motion. If I wasn't just hoping, the sun would peek through in seconds.

Edward was suddenly on his feet.

"We should go, Bella."

"Why? It's just getting nice out."

"It's getting late," he corrected. "Besides, isn't Alice waiting to work on your _project_?"

I frowned. "Five more minutes?"

He didn't answer; he merely stood and glided gracefully into the shade of the trees. I followed him as we began our trek back to the car.

"You can't stand the sun?" I demanded, before I remembered that an aversion to sun was one of the hallmarks of vampirism. Forks must be the perfect place for him.

"I'm sensitive to sun."

"What do you mean?" I played dumb, wondering if he would lie to me. "Like a skin condition or something?"

He gave a grateful, perfunctory nod.

"No, I don't think that's it."

Edward stared at me incredulously as I gazed levelly back. This time, I was going to have my answer. "I know what you are."

He turned away, the muscles of his shoulders and back contorted with tension. "A bad lab partner? A truant?" His voice was light and joking, but I could feel the subtle strain.

We reached the edge of the woods, hesitating as we surveyed the Volvo, unstoppably drenched in sunlight. My breath caught as I waited for him to take the first step, waited to see what secrets the sun would reveal. Still in the shade of the trees, he paused, but the shift of his weight threw him in the line of a brilliant shaft of light thrown from the car's silver body. It shattered off his skin, sparkling in a thousand diamond facets.

My gasp broke into the silence of the forest, loud enough in the stillness to startle a pair of perched birds into flight.

"This was a mistake," he whispered.

"No, it wasn't," I disagreed. "Even if you kill me now, I don't regret this."

His face flashed from shock to fury.

"I'm taking you home. Now." He grabbed my arm and all but pushed me into the car. Though he hadn't been rough, I of course stumbled and sprawled across the seat. He paused, looking pained, but evidently thought better of making any apology as he moved swiftly into the driver's seat.

"See?" I told him "You _could_ kill me, easily, I bet. But you won't. I trust you not to. Why can't you trust me to keep your secret?"

Edward's eyes flashed to my face and away again. We sped down the highway much faster than the speed limit, but I never said a word of protest, I was so mad.

"It's not mine to share," he muttered darkly. I had to strain to hear him over the crunch of Charlie's gravel drive. Alice was standing on my porch with her arms crossed, her posture oddly foreboding for such a diminutive figure.

I got out of the Volvo as soon as the wheels stopped rolling, slamming the door behind me. Of course, the hanging end of my shirt got caught. Gently, Edward reached over and opened the door for me, not looking at my face.

"Goodbye, Bella."


	13. Furious

**A/N - This chapter is dedicated to hannahbee27, my favorite D.W. 3 Enjoy!**

**Chapter Thirteen: Furious**

**BPOV**

I was still too angry with Edward to be wary of Alice as I climbed my porch steps. The wood was slick from the rain, and I half-heartedly cursed Charlie for not having bought a house with a lower foundation. After three slips, and still clutching the railing for support, I looked up at her, and her eyes were narrowed to slits.

"I'm going to kill you," she screeched, grabbing me by the arm and wheeling me into the house. My first instinct was to laugh at how absurdly lovely her voice was, even in fury. My second instinct was to throw my hands hastily over my throat in protection.

I realized a split second after I'd done it that she wasn't really going to kill me, but she caught my motion anyway and her face blanched with shock. I smiled sheepishly at her, and her expression smoothed into something unrecognizable; I could tell that she was trying to convince herself that my throat-clutching was a coincidence, not a reference to the fact that she and her family were all quite probably bloodthirsty vampires. Sparkly bloodthirsty vampires, I mentally corrected, new adjective courtesy of my most recent encounter with her brother.

Still, I was at just as much ease with my angry, sparkly, bloodthirsty vampire friend as I would have been with anybody. I wondered if that made me a freak somehow – I knew I'd never really connected with other humans. In Phoenix I'd been able to blame it on the large population, so big I couldn't possibly find a niche without years of looking, and I'd preferred to spend my time reading rather than social climbing. Here, though, I was as close as it came to being popular, and I was still on nobody's wavelength. I had Angela, and Mike, and Jessica, but I didn't pretend to think that I could ever confide in them. They were surface friends.

My sparkly bloodthirsty vampires might be more than surface.

"I'll tell you everything," I muttered gloomily, pushing past her to the dimly lit living room. My efforts were only to placate her; I wasn't sure when or how to reveal what I knew. With Edward, it just sort of…slipped out. Alice was another matter entirely.

"So…much…deadness," she hissed, sliding into a graceful perch atop one of Charlie's kitchen stools, folding her legs carefully beneath her. I plopped down on the couch in defeat.

"I said I'd tell you," I griped. "What did you want to know?"

"Why did you skip after lunch? With my _brother_?"

Oddly, her first question seemed suddenly easier than her second.

"They were doing bloodtyping," I informed her. "I can't stand blood, and apparently neither can your brother –" I looked at her pointedly "– so we skipped class." Why was it that whenever I was feeling defensive, my voice took on a whiny edge? It just made Alice's voice sound that much prettier in comparison.

"Wha – " Alice froze and frowned, pausing in her question to spin on her stool until she was facing my front door. I followed the direction of her glare and two more seconds passed before the room was filled with the distinctive buzzing of Charlie's doorbell.

I gave her an odd look as I got up. The ability to see the future generally wasn't a part of most vampire canon that _I'd_ found. If Alice hadn't just guessed or looked up by coincidence, what other things did she know?

My footsteps sounded extremely ungainly as I padded across the hardwood floor. Alice's lithe gait was graceful and silent. I wondered why that bothered me; it never had until now. Then again, I'd never had much reason beyond normal insecurity to feel self conscious until now. Now I had someone to be self-conscious for, someone who had probably never experienced self doubt in his life.

Mike was standing on my doorstep, looking uncomfortable and irritated. My surprise must have shown on my face, for his frown deepened and he glared at his shoes.

"Um, Mike? I don't mean to be rude, but now's really not the best time – I'm with Alice right now, so…um, I'll talk to you later? Sorry," I blabbered.

"Actually, I need to talk to you now, Bella. Alice, you don't mind, do you? Just a few minutes," he called past me down the hall.

I didn't see Alice's reaction; I was still facing the door. He must have taken her silence for assent, because he grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the trees, spinning me around when we reached the edge of the gravel drive.

"What were you doing, skipping Bio with Cullen?" he demanded.

I bristled, snatching my wrist out of his grasp. I rubbed it with my other hand as I stared back at him. "They were doing bloodtyping," I repeated, most definitely more irritated with him than I had been with Alice. "I can't stand blood. Can you blame me for not wanting to spend all period puking in the clinic?"

"No, but you didn't just skip. You _left._ When you didn't show up after class, I left gym to look for you, and his Volvo was gone. Your truck was still there, but she –" he jerked his head toward the house, where Alice was presumably waiting "– took it. So, Bella, care to explain why my girl was off with some other guy?"

"Your girl," I fumed. "Since when am I your property, Mike?"

"Since I said so!" he exploded, taking a step toward me. "I'll ask you again, Bella – what were you doing with Cullen?"

"I don't owe you any explanations," I took a step back, glancing at the window of the house, wondering if Alice could hear. I didn't really think Mike was dangerous, but he was losing control. Not that having Alice involved would help any; she was so little…though, if she truly was a vampire, maybe she would bite him for me.

"Like hell you do! Do you think I want people saying my girlfriend's a…a slut?"

"What did you call me?" I stopped walking. Mike's face lost its anger and filled with unease.

"I, well, um," he fumbled sheepishly.

"_What_ did you call me?" My pointer finger floated up from my side of its own accord and stabbed him in the chest. "I don't know what illusion you thought _we were_," _stab, stab_ "but we, Mike, are through. I am not your girl," _stab_ "and I wouldn't be the girlfriend of_ anyone_ who calls me a slut." With that, I whirled on my heel and stalked back into the house, slamming my door in his contrite face.

I was proud of myself for not smacking him; as much as I wanted to, it would probably hurt my hand more than his face. Slut. _Slut_. The nerve! I was the _last_ person on earth that anyone could apply that term to. The funny thing was, when I was with Edward, I hadn't even remembered Mike's existence. Even if I had, it wouldn't have occurred to me to feel guilty about being with him. I _wasn't_ Mike's girl, so wishing for some impossible claim on Edward couldn't be considered cheating.

I could have just told Mike that we'd gone hiking, but A) he most likely wouldn't believe me and B) it actually felt more intimate than anything Mike was accusing me of, and telling him would spoil the day for me.

My stabbing finger throbbed. I held it up to find it about two shades redder than the rest of my arm. It was definitely good I hadn't slapped him, or punched him, God forbid.

"Nice," Alice said appreciatively. I was about to join her in the kitchen when the doorbell rang.

"Bella, I'm sorry," Mike yelled "I didn't mean it – it wasn't even me – it was everyone else! Can't we just talk?"

"Want me to kill him for you?" Alice offered sweetly, swinging her legs as she prepared to hop down from her stool.

_I've got this,_ I mouthed. I threw the safety latch on the door and yelled back through the picture window.

"If you're not off my porch in two seconds, I'm calling the cops. Oh, wait…that would be…MY DAD. MOVE."

It was actually very entertaining the way he scampered, slipping a little on the gravel as he came off the bottom step. Sadly, he was more coordinated than I, and caught himself rather than face-planting as I'd hoped.

"What a tool," Alice commented cheerfully. "I'm glad you got rid of him, Bella. You could do so much better."

I couldn't agree more.

***

**A/N - Since I didn't do anything for April Fool's, expect a little something next week. My editor gave me a copy of HER idea of how chapter fourteen should go.**


	14. Worrier

**A/N - Hi all - this one's a little short - sorry - but I hope you like it all the same! I'm off to the Blue October concert! :) Enjoy**

**Chapter Fourteen: Worrier**

**APOV**

"What a mess," I moaned.

"Well, whose fault is that?" Edward snapped. I snapped off a large spruce branch and threw it at his head. Sadly, being the fastest, he neatly dodged it and it sailed for another four hundred meters before smashing into the riverbed. I heard Esme's cry of dismay from the house as the water from the river splashed against the back wall; she had just cleaned the glass windows yesterday. "Now you've done it," he mumbled.

"I. Am. Trying. To. HELP. You."

"I think you've meddled enough, Alice," he told me. I twisted my foot into the needle strewn ground to keep from punching him in the face. Me? Meddling? "I mean, if you hadn't spoken to Bella, she wouldn't have figured out what we are."

"If I hadn't spoken to Bella, you never would have found her! And you don't know that she wouldn't have figured it out otherwise…Bella's extraordinarily observant," I sniffed.

"Regardless, we'll most likely have to move now," he pointed out.

"We will not. I've already spoken to Carlisle, and he knows that I know that there is no danger of that. Bella would never betray us."

"Betray us? Alice, she's a human. Whether she has good intentions or not, it's dangerous for all of us if she knows. You know who will come." His voice lowered ominously as he alluded to the lawmakers of our kind. Yes, they certainly were a little bit of an issue.

But screw the Volturi, there was a potential wedding in the making, dammit!

"Are you making a new rabbit's den?" he asked innocently, looking at the deep hole my foot had made in my efforts to restrain myself "I don't think the rabbits will appreciate you meddling in their business either."

I lunged for him, but he hopped lithely onto the branch above my head.

"What exactly did she say to you, anyway?" he wondered.

"When?" My tone was sullen as I leapt onto his branch, sitting beside him in docile resignation. I would have to be the bigger – figuratively – person and end our little sibling squabble; Esme always got upset when we fought.

"After I dropped her off…did she say anything about…our day?" Edward sounded almost nervous, and I would have enjoyed it if he weren't being such a pumpkin-head.

"As best friend in residence, I am not at liberty to reveal anything said to me in strictest confidence," I informed him loftily.

"I'll just listen to you anyway," he warned.

"Like I can't block you out," I scoffed. "But, as it happens, I _will_ tell you – but only because I feel like it. Bella didn't tell me that you went to the meadow – but I looked ahead and saw that you did – but she did tell me that she knew what we were."

"And you confirmed?"

"Sure," I shrugged "Why not? She would have found out eventually, and denying it wouldn't have kept her from being suspicious."

"Alice," he said sharply.

"Watch." I replayed the memory in my mind.

Bella fidgeted with the soup spoon as she stirred. It didn't seem to bother her that I didn't offer to try her cooking. She wasn't easily insulted, the way some humans were, but I hadn't anticipated the level of fury she'd shown Mike. Served him right.

I watched her mutter away with fascination. Who knew she had so much rage? It was endearing, really. Edward had been right when he'd described her as a kitten that thinks it's a tiger. No wonder she felt so comfortable around us – she was nearly oblivious to how completely vulnerable she was.

"You tell him," I grinned. "Though I'm not sure he can hear you from here."

She shot me a look. "Yes, I'm sure he has perfectly human hearing. Not all of us can hear a doorbell ring before it's pressed."

I sat up straight, caught short by her amount of knowledge. I guessed that she hadn't meant to let as much slip in her huffiness, because she blushed. Before I could come up with a witty response or an appropriate excuse, she threw her dishtowel into the sink.

"I know," she admitted shortly. "Edward got mad at me, but I don't think you will."

***

"She thinks I'm mad at her?" Edward interrupted worriedly, distracting me from my vision. I had to quickly pause the image in my mind before I replied.

"SHUT UP, Edward. This is why no one ever asks you to watch movies with them. It's so annoying when you talk."

He glowered, but I took his silence for apology and went on

***

"I don't care if you're…not normal," Bella euphemized. "Any of you. I like being around you. Especially you and Edward."

"That's great, Bella. I always knew you would."

* * *

"That's it?" Edward demanded.

"Yup. That's it. All you're going to see, anyway."

"You are such a _very_ irritating little sister," he groaned.

"I'm the _best_," I corrected. "You think playing matchmaker for _you_ is fun? If it was anyone else, I'd have loads of fun, but with you it's just frustrating."

"I don't need a matchmaker. I need you to stop putting Bella and everyone else in danger: I need you to tell me exactly what is going to happen on Monday when we all get back to school and people ask where we were."

Edward twisted his hand anxiously through his hair; I could tell he was beginning to regret his decision. This was bad. Very bad.

"Nuh-uh," I told him, sticking out my tongue. "That is for me to know and you to find out. Seriously, Edward – do you care what those people think? They're all too afraid of us to even think anything. What matters is that Bella likes us, Bella knows about us, she still trusts us, and she broke up with Mike."

"Bella broke up with Mike?" He breathed. Poor boy.

"Oh, did I forget to mention that?" I let my head loll to one side, turning a strand of hair between my fingers in a perfect imitation of the vapid Jessica Stanley. "Oops. So sorry."

His face was more entertaining than Emmett's pastime of light-speed channel surfing; his expressions shifted about as rapidly from elation to composure to annoyance to anger at Mike for whatever he had done to provoke Bella enough to drop her un-assertive damsel in distress protocol in order to dump him.

"She's probably lonely right now," I hinted.

He frowned, looking regretful for her sake.

I sighed. "You _could_ go keep her company."

"What?" Edward was startled enough to take a step back that nearly lost him his footing on the branch. Such a shame he regained his balance; I could have used a good laugh. "I can't just go to her house. I don't even know what I'd say."

Once again, I was going to have to take charge.

"Actually, since it's the weekend and all, I think I'll ask her to sleep over."

"Alice – you can't…she's not ready…_we're_ not – no. Have you lost your mind?"

"HAHAHA," Emmett boomed from the house "Little Eddie's finally GETTIN' SOME!"

"If you're really so bent on Bella becoming part of this family," Edward murmured, looking oddly serene "you'll be pleased to know that there will be a vacancy in approximately five minutes. Excuse me."

I clapped my hands with glee as he streaked off toward the house.


	15. Gesture

**A/N - Poor Jasper.**

**Chapter Fifteen: Gesture**

**APOV**

As I pulled Jasper's jeans off – shredding them in the process; I had a new pair of Guess jeans lined up for him in my closet when we were done – I was struck by a vision of Edward in a florists' shop. I was so bemused by this that I was distracted and forgot to remind Jasper that _my_ clothes weren't shred-worthy.

"WHAT THE HELL!!!"

Jasper froze, instantly contrite.

"Not you," I assured him. "Though that was my favorite pair of low riders." We looked at the little pile of denim strips. "Stupid Edward."

I felt Jasper's hurt and confusion.

"He keeps doing things that provoke my visions, and they keep coming at inopportune times more frequently."

"So I noticed," he muttered.

"Don't kill him. You'd upset Esme," I reminded him mildly.

He muttered indistinctly as I threw on clothes faster than you could say _interruption_.

"Bye, hon. I should be back in about fifteen minutes."

He vanished from the bed and reappeared with his lips at my ear, arms locked tight around my waist. "Promise?" he sighed.

"Mmhmm," I twisted around to flash a little mischievous smile "I promise we can pick up right where we left off. Though it better not cost me another pair of jeans."

I ducked out of his embrace and sped out the door before he could catch me.

Emmett was lounging on the couch downstairs, his head on Rose's lap so she could play with his hair. The odd angle didn't seem to bother him, though the football players on the screen must have looked very strange as they ran up instead of to the side.

He sat up straight when he saw me, though, grinning.

"Gee, Al, Edward is really doing something for your sex life, isn't he?"

Rose smirked as I bared my teeth at her husband.

"There's a reason we call him Cock-Block Cullen," she murmured. I laughed, remembering Rose and Emmett's first years, how they couldn't keep their hands off each other, thoroughly disgusting Edward. He was so bothered by the fact that he couldn't play the piano over all the noise they made at night that Esme built them a house of their own.

"I hope he gets with this Bella chick," Emmett commented cheerfully.

"And does us all a favor," Jasper grumbled, coming down the stairs and buttoning his shirt. I flitted out of the room before his gloom and frustration washed over all of us.

I was minutes behind Edward as I ran, but I slowed to a leisurely pace, not wanting to alert him to my presence. I was dying to see what kind of flowers he would pick out.

The bells of a shop called Bella Flora tinkled as Edward entered; I lingered around the corner, watching and listening with my mind. He looked so nervous; the blatant femininity of the store overwhelmed him, never having purchased flowers for a woman before. Esme always preferred hand-picked flowers from the meadow, I was too picky to let anyone select my flowers for me, and it would be a cold day in hell when Edward would find a reason to buy roses for Rosalie.

He prowled with fleeting hesitation to the first flowers he came upon: daisies. His nose wrinkled before he moved on to a display of carnations. I wondered what had been wrong with the daisies; I supposed he thought them too simple, but I thought they suited Bella well enough. They weren't exactly plain, but their beauty was understated and low-maintenance – much better than the flashy crimson carnations.

The girl at the counter glanced up from her issue of _Vogue_ and hopped off her stool quicker than a viper's strike. Which, by our standards, was nursing-home slow. The speculation in her eyes was obvious as she strode toward Edward, clearly hoping that he was buying flowers for an aging relative, rather than a girlfriend.

"How can I be of service to you, sir?" she purred, tossing back a sheet of pale red hair with one hand. I reflected briefly that she and Edward could have had attractive ginger babies in another life, before returning to the task at hand.

Edward appeared composed and casual to her; to me, he looked panic. "I'm looking for flowers for …someone," he told her. I winced. Score one for Team Edward. Not.

"Roses?" she suggested, leaning toward him to point at the cluster of blooms to his left.

"No; something more unique, I think."

She nodded eagerly, staying close as she straightened up. I watched Edward swallow uncomfortably, knowing that her proximity must have provoked his thirst. Though I sympathized, there was no doubt in my mind that it was good for him to "practice" with humans whose blood was less potent than Bella's.

He took a step away and scanned the shelved to cover the motion.

"I'll take those," he told her, pointing to an arrangement of a dozen white calla lilies. Good boy. Lilies would suit Bella even better than daisies; though they were quiet, they were more graceful, as she would someday be. Once she was one of us.

* * *

**BPOV**

I was still on the war path when I woke up in the morning.

Usually I was much better about getting over things, but I had never had a boyfriend before. My first one had been a disaster, and with any luck – though I didn't want to think about it – the next one would be far better. I had someone in mind, but I had learned the hard way that it was never healthy to put to much store in hope for unlikely things.

So for now, I focused on my irritation with Mike.

"Stupid…boys," I muttered, waking up with a killer headache. I bumped into the walls a few times and nearly fell down the stairs as I stumbled in my wearied state. It was Saturday, so Charlie was still asleep. I would have to fend for myself for breakfast, but, what else was new? My dad couldn't touch a frying pan without setting the entire Forks Fire Department – all three firemen – on alert.

Alice had called about a sleepover last night, but I'd told her that I just wasn't feeling up to it. Though I thought she had been a little hurt, she conceded that I probably needed some "alone time." That was partially it, but mostly I was hesitant about spending the night in a household of vampires; I wouldn't tell her so out of fear of hurting her feelings. My biggest concern, however, was Edward. I couldn't be sure if he was still angry with me, and a slumber party with him being only a room away had the potential to be all kinds of awful. On the other hand, it could be wonderful…

The smell of burning bacon shocked my nose and made me burn my hand as I jerked the pan off the stove in surprise. Caught up in my unfortunate fantasies, I had ruined food for the first time in years. Fuming at my own stupidity, I dumped the fried bacon in the trash and scrubbed the charred grease off the pan with a vengeance.

Though the aroma of properly fried bacon was like perfume to someone like Charlie, the burnt stuff had nowhere near the same effect.

"Bells? You okay down there?" he growled.

"Yes, go back to sleep," I called back "I'll get rid of the smell in a sec."

I threw open the kitchen windows and was surprised to find that the air outside was as temperate as the room. I stumped to the door and opened that, as well, figuring that it would let in fresh air much more efficiently.

There was a bouquet of flowers at my feet.

In my confusion, I just gaped at it, wondering what it was doing there. Slowly, I sank down onto my knees and examined it. There appeared to be a dozen graceful white lilies arranged in a blue glass vase – whoever had bought it must have spent a lot of money. Even plain red roses were expensive these days.

It hit me then that these must be for me. Though there was no card – and I checked, three times over – I was fairly certain that no one was sending Charlie calla lilies. I was suddenly grateful that I had been the first to get up. How embarrassing would it have been to have Charlie discover my flowers.

They had to be from Mike. Though the gesture was well-intentioned and undeniably sweet, I didn't want him to do nice things for me. It only made me feel indebted to him in a way that made me uncomfortable, because I could not and would not repay his affections.

Besides, my forgiveness couldn't be bought through flowers. Though it was getting there. And…I supposed I had overreacted. His concerns were understandable, if invalid and inaccurate. I would have been jealous, too, if Edward had disappeared with Jessica. Not that Edward was my boyfriend.

Mike had apologized, but I hadn't wanted to hear it. Mostly, I suspected guiltily, for my own reasons. I picked up the keys to my truck and set the vase in a covert corner of the kitchen that my somewhat-unobservant dad would be unlikely to notice. Mike deserved another chance, at least as my friend.

*******

**Hope you enjoyed! Even Cock-Block Cullen likes reviews :)**


	16. Lost

**A/N - This chapter is dedicated to Charlotte, always on my mind.**

**Chapter 16: Lost**

**BPOV**

For some reason, I hummed as I drove to Mike's house. I had no reason to feel quite this cheerful, what with the sure-to-be awkward conversation ahead of me, but those lilies really had been spectacular. It dawned on me, as I pulled up to the curb, that I had never actually been to the Newton's.

Mike lived in a split-level, green with charcoal shutters. It was a pretty colonial, just what I would have expected from a woman like Karen Newton, coloring aside. I was nervous as I walked up the drive, so I focused on details like the bed of daffodils, and the great spruce to the left of the house.

The nasal buzzing of the bell reverberated in my ears long after I pressed it, though it was probably just an effect of my nerves. Fortunately, Mike's head appeared in the side window, saving me from more potentially awkward explanations: _Yes, Mrs. Newton – I broke up with your son yesterday because he called me a slut. Oh, you didn't know I was his girlfriend? Me neither._

"Bella," Mike sounded relieved as he opened the door to let me in, but his expression was cautious. Maybe he was worried that I was going to sic Charlie on him, after all.

"Hey, Mike." I was uncomfortable again. "Can I come in?"

"Sure." He stepped aside graciously, and I walked into his foyer, light and airy robin's egg blue. Karen Newton was clearly a better decorator than Charlie. I admired the Oriental rug, and the dried flowers on the little wooden table under a mirror, in lieu of looking at Mike. Now that I was here, I realized I had no idea what to say.

"I'm sorry," we said in tandem. I bit my lip at the little awkwardness, but Mike grinned.

"Oh, Bells, I'm so glad you're back –does this mean you've forgiven me?"

"Yeah. I guess I kinda overreacted," I admitted.

"Yeah, you kinda did," he laughed. "I was waiting for the police to show up at my door all night." He led me to the living room, a deep mauve with floral furniture.

We sat on the couch and I was on edge again; being shy had made me most comfortable with people when I was moving. Walking didn't necessitate eye contact, and the constant change of scenery stimulated conversation. Sitting on couches, not so much.

Fortunately, Mike was nothing if not talkative. Maybe he and Jess had been twins, separated at birth. It wasn't really all that far-fetched, what with all the fantastic things I now knew to be true.

"Bella, I really am sorry," he apologized for the umpteenth time, taking my hand in his clammy one.

"It's okay, Mike." He had given me those gorgeous flowers, after all. Any more displays of remorse would just embarrass me.

"No, it's not," he disagreed. "I know you would never do that to me, Bella. You're such a great girl. I feel so lucky to have you." And with that, he leaned forward and started kissing me.

It wasn't what I had been expecting, and for a moment, I was too surprised to react in any way. It was much better than the last time, and I was starting to see why people actually liked it. Since my eyes were closed, I could actually pretend that I wasn't kissing Mike at all, but someone else…Edward.

He seemed encouraged by my enthusiasm, and I felt myself slipping vertical. Oh, Edward, I thought, as my head collided gently with a pillow, and our bodies pressed together. He was much warmer than usual, but I didn't really notice – I was feeling overheated already.

With my attention devoted to every sense but sight, I saw so much more without my eyes. I felt all the heat, the pressure, the weight of him on me. I heard my racing heartbeat and the soft thud of a belt as it hit the carpet. The sound didn't make sense to me until one hand undid the clasp of my bra, the other tugging at my jeans zipper, and dispelling my fantasies.

This wasn't Edward. This wasn't one of my fantasies come true. This was Mike, and he was trying to get into my pants.

Not twenty-four hours after calling me a slut.

"Mike," I gasped, pulling my head to the side, trying to push him off of me.

He must have mistaken my feeble protest for a moan of passion, because he hooked his thumbs into the tops of my jeans and pulled. I squirmed and tried to get out from beneath him, but he was just too big. His hands snaked upward and tried to slip up my shirt, but then I managed to twist myself so I was at an angle to knee him in the groin.

Mike howled in pain as I jumped up from the couch, hastily putting myself in order. My hands were shaking so badly that it took me nearly three tries before I got my zipper.

"WHAT THE HELL, BELLA?" he screeched, clutching himself and looking up all betrayed.

"I'm sorry, I made a m-mistake," I stuttered.

I was confused when his expression softened, and he reached out to pull me back to him, squeezing my ass as he did so.

"No, Mike!" I wrenched out of his grip and backed against the opposite wall with my arms crossed tightly over my chest. "Kicking you wasn't the mistake – coming here was!"

His face turned red and he stood up, grimacing only slightly at the movement. Apparently my move hadn't been as effective as intended.

"What are you saying?" he shouted in my face, leaning over me. "Are you trying to break up with me – again?"

"Yes," I whispered. I cowered into the wall, turning myself away from his livid posture as much as possible. "We're just not right, Mike."

Disappointment and hurt welled in his eyes, maybe even some residual pain from when I'd hit him.

"Not right?" he yelped. "Bella, how can you say that? How isn't _this_ right?"

He grabbed my chin and forced my face back to him. I struggled as he tried to stick his tongue in my mouth, and pressed me up against the wall. His hands were moving all over me, and I could feel the bulge – that I apparently hadn't hit hard enough – stiffen against my thigh.

As my protests were doing nothing, I let myself go limp and dropped to the floor, sliding out of his hands. Before he could look up, I had run out the door and was halfway to my truck. I threw the door of the driver's side open and slammed it shut, jamming my curled fist toward the ignition out of habit.

But there was no key in my hand.

I had left my keys back on the Newton's coffee table. Of one thing I was certain: I was not going back there. Afraid that Mike's head would appear in the open doorway any second, I hopped out of my truck and set off down the street on foot.

It wasn't that far of a walk back to Charlie's. It couldn't be. It had only taken me ten minutes to drive here, and I was fairly certain that I could take a short-cut through the woods. I would find some way to get my truck back later, without facing Mike or telling Charlie.

"Bella!"

As soon as I heard him call my name, I took off for the wood that was just at the end of the Markses' property. My instinct overwhelmed my reason, and after several minutes of stumbling and shaking and panting through the woods, I stood quite still in the middle of a sea of mossy green and brown.

I sat on a log, pulling twigs from my hair and wiping my scraped palms off on my jeans. I had no direction. I was far away from Mike - far away from everything, as far as I could tell.

Lost.


	17. Found

**A/N - This chapter is dedicated to anyone who has ever been lost - may you always be found 3**

**Chapter Seventeen:**** Found**

**BPOV**

My shoulders were shaking as I stumbled my way through the forest. I didn't realize that I was crying until two salty tears rolled down my face, welling at the corner of my mouth and spilling over my bottom lip.

I had no idea where I was going, it was true, but I was more afraid of sitting on that log alone, doing nothing. I had left for Mike's fairly early in the morning, but there was no telling what time it was now. If I had been a habitual watch-wearer, it would have helped me out today. It could get dark before I found the path; with my luck and sense of direction, or lack thereof, I would be stuck in the woods overnight. I didn't even want to think of the outcomes of that possibility.

So I kept walking. It was better to wear myself out by going in circles in hysterics than to wait for a bear to get me, sitting appetizingly still on a log. I chuckled darkly to myself: after all the predators I had encountered this week, I still counted the bear as my biggest worry.

After what felt like an hour of stumping around in my worn sneakers, I was starting to think that maybe going in circles was worse than staying put. Charlie would send a rescue crew to find me eventually, right? Not that he knew where I was. All he had to go on was a hastily scrawled note when I'd left in the morning, saying that I was meeting some friends and would be back around lunchtime. A very late lunch.

I racked my brains instead for any stereotypical hiker's tips. I was now truly regretting refusing to be a Girl Scout when Renee had wanted to sign me up so many years before. I had dismissed it as one of her short-lived fads then, but some basic orienteering knowledge could have served me well.

My stomach rumbled at the thought of other Girl Scout connotations: cookies. What I wouldn't give for a box of Samoas…

I wondered idly if I was like a box of Samoas to Edward.

Shaking my head to snap myself out of it, I remembered Charlie once telling me something about the moss, in case I ever got lost in the forest behind his house. I had always hated the cold and the wet too much to take those details to heart, knowing that venturing into the woods was the last thing on my to-do list, but surely I had retained _something_. I seemed to recall him saying that the moss grew on the north side of the trees, or was it the south side?

Either way, I picked the mossy side and followed it, knowing it would take me in relatively one direction. I nearly cried again – from relief, this time – when I stumbled out onto the highway. I knew I couldn't have been far from civilization. Or something closer to it than the centenarian trees.

Of course, I couldn't just get out of the woods so easily. Of course it had to rain.

I stood at the edge of the road, glaring in either direction in indecision. I had no idea which way led to town, and which way led to more highway. Either way, I supposed that walking was better than getting drenched in the rain. Even if I picked the route that led to another stretch of highway – which with my luck, I would – someone would surely drive by.

My stomach plummeted at the thought of hitching a ride with a stranger. That could end all types of badly. Maybe if I could just borrow a cell phone…

While I was pondering this, a sleek car hurtled toward me. At the speed it was going, the noise should have been thunderous, but the engine merely purred as it shot by. Before the word 'wait' had fully formed itself, the car swiveled in a motion like a curving bullet and returned for me.

I leapt out of the way, falling down onto the now-damp grass intermingled with a bed of deadened pine needles. Once my heart had restarted, I glanced up at the car that had startled me in wonder. I recognized that silver Volvo.

Edward threw the driver's door open and moved quickly to my side, looking concerned.

"Bella, are you hurt?" he called, maintaining a slight distance between us. This confused me, but I reasoned that he must be waiting to see if I was bleeding before he let himself get any closer.

"I'm fine," I grumbled.

He gave a low chuckle of disbelief, but extended his hand to me, helping me up. I shivered as I took it, and he steered me toward his car.

"I'll get the seats wet," I protested, but he ignored me, returning swiftly to the driver's seat and flicking on the heat. I all but melted when the warm air hit me, wafting his wonderful scent throughout the enclosed space. By the tightening of his jaw, I surmised that my scent must have received the same treatment. I couldn't really bring myself to mind – not when the heat felt so delicious. My truck didn't have heat. Stupid shiny Volvo owner.

"What happened?" he asked in a low, tense voice. He slipped the key into the ignition and the car whirred into motion, moving us effortlessly down the road I had just dreaded walking.

I looked at my hands, surprised to see that they were still shaking. I wasn't cold anymore.

"I went to see Mike – " I began, and Edward's hands clenched around the steering wheel " – and he didn't really seem to understand me when I said 'no'."

"What?" His hiss was so low, so infuriated that I could barely make it out, save for the fact that the intensity of his eyes made his meaning perfectly clear. I stared at his hands, which – aside from being astoundingly beautiful – I was pretty sure were making dents in the steering wheel.

"Um, well, I tried to explain that I just wanted to be friends, and he got a little carried away…"

"He _touched_ you?"

I looked away, not wanting to see the look on Edward's face, not wanting to show how incredibly embarrassed I was, with my raspberry-stained cheeks.

Not. Having. This. Conversation.

"I left," I continued, as if he hadn't spoken "I ran into the woods, I got lost, and then you found me." End of story.

"He touched you?" he repeated. What was it about the Y-chromosome that made men so infernally persistent? I glanced up to see his murderous expression. There was no doubt in my mind that if Mike had been close by, vampire or not, Edward would have ensured that there was one less student enrolled at Forks High.

"Can I borrow your cell phone?" I asked.

His eyes narrowed to slits and I became nervous about the fact that we were hurtling along at 110 miles per hour and he wasn't watching the road.

"Can we slow down?" I begged.

We did. By three miles per hour.

Edward gave a great sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Why do you need my cell phone?"

"I should let Charlie know where I am," I mumbled. "After all, I've been lost for hours. Who knows – the whole town could be looking for me!" That reminded me… "How did _you_ find me, anyway?"

"Bella, it's only noon."

Okay. So I'd been lost for a little less than an hour. That still didn't answer my question.

"Did Alice tell you to look for me?"

Edward made no move to answer either of my questions, but his jaw tightened.

"She knew I was in trouble, didn't she?" I surmised softly. I wasn't looking for an answer this time; his lack of denial was enough. "I'm glad."

Wordlessly, Edward pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and held it out to me. As I reached out to take it, he looked me dead in the eye, the fierce gold overpowering my thoughts.

"I could quite truly kill him," he whispered, referring, I knew, to Mike. "Did he hurt you, Bella?"

I looked down, and shook my head 'no'. Then I snatched the phone from his palm and dialed my home number swiftly.

"Hi, Char-Dad. I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be at Alice Cullen's house for a while."

Edward's eyebrows shot up. Way up.

"No, I'm not going to be home for dinner after all, I'm sleeping over. Please don't let yourself starve – there's leftover lasagna in the freezer from Wednesday. Make sure to take it out of the container before you heat it up, okay? I'll see you tomorrow."

I flipped the phone shut and handed it back to him, placing it dead in the center of his frozen palm.

"Sleepover?" he mouthed.

I looked out the window, fighting a smile to keep from laughing at his shocked expression. If he had been human, we would most likely be a Volvo pretzel now, or on our way to becoming so. Somehow, though, I wasn't worried.


	18. Sleepover

**A/N - This chapter is dedicated to my dear friend hannahbee27, with whom I know would love to sleepover at the Cullens'.**

**Chapter Eighteen: Sleepover**

**BPOV**

"Bella!"

Alice danced out to meet us while the car was still in motion, and I was instantly worried that we were going to hit her. Edward looked unconcerned and neither slowed nor swerved as she ran to us. I only let out my held breath when we parked half an inch from her.

"I am so excited," she gushed.

"For what, Alice?" I smiled in amusement; she had either forgotten that I hadn't told her I was sleeping over, or she didn't care about keeping up the human charade any longer around me.

"Take it easy, Alice," Edward warned. "Don't dent my car," he muttered.

She stuck her tongue out at him as she whipped my door open. "Come on!" Bouncing on the tips of her toes, Alice grabbed my hand and hauled me from the Volvo, tugging me toward the massive white Georgian house I had somehow failed to notice.

It was stunning. I couldn't believe that I had missed it; I had been to preoccupied with looking at Edward and not getting caught looking at him to notice when we'd turned onto the long drive. Only Alice's flitting movements could have caught my attention. She was more than a social butterfly; she moved like one.

"You'll have to meet the rest of the family – you know Emmett and Rose and Jasper, of course, but you'll have to meet Carlisle and Esme – CARLISLE," she broke off, hollering toward the house.

Edward rubbed the back of his neck in annoyance. "There's no need to shout, Alice."

A man who looked more movie star than father came blurring down the front steps, clearly alarmed by Alice's yell. He stood still in shock when he saw me, and I'm sure my expression must have been just as incredulous. The speed with which he had moved…

The others watched me carefully, I could tell from the corners of my eyes that they were monitoring my reaction with concern. I kept as best a poker face as I could, which was to say, not a very good one. My saving grace was the fact that I was good with weird. Very good.

Trying to show that the display of the supernatural hadn't bothered me, I stepped forward shyly and offered Carlisle my hand, praying that he wouldn't return it with puncture marks.

"Bella, it is a pleasure to meet you. Please feel welcome in our home. Alice has told us much about you." His voice was smooth, like a warm liquor, clear and bright. I couldn't help liking and trusting him immediately.

"Thank you," I told him. "I'm very glad to be here." It surprised me how very true this was.

A woman appeared in the doorway, a face I didn't recognize. Her features were soft, and sweet, and she reminded me of the mother I'd always fantasized Renee to be as she looked at me with hesitant affection.

"Bella, let me introduce my wife, Esme," Carlisle smiled, and Alice beckoned me forward. I took a step, and Esme moved gently down the steps.

"You have a lovely home, Mrs. Cullen," I complemented, wanting inexplicably to win the favor of this petite, charming woman.

"Please, dear, call me Esme," she murmured, her lips curving apart in a sweet smile. Carefully, like a hunter would approach a frozen deer, she raised her arms and I stood still in my confusion. A hand so tiny it could only be Alice's pressed itself into the middle of my back with such conviction that I felt sure it might have made an impression. I stumbled forward into Esme's hug, though her embrace was so sincere and soft that not even I could make it awkward.

Carlisle chuckled, and Alice joined in with her trilling giggle, though I peered over Esme's shoulder to catch Edward frowning at his sister.

I had run clean out of small talk one-liners, which hardly seemed appropriate given my present company anyhow. It was fortunate, then, that Alice seemed determined to give me a rush tour, and whisked me away from her quietly enchanting parents.

"Come on," she tsked impatiently, dragging me up the stairs and into the hall. The Cullens' house was comprised of mainly ivory shades, though the lack of color created an effect that was not cold and stark, but simple and comforting. The brightness helped to dispel any lingering fear or doubts I might have had.

"Hey, it's the little human." Emmett grinned as he bounded down the stairs, but he wasn't quick enough to escape Rosalie's head smack. As far as the Cullens were concerned, his thoughtless comment had just let the bat out of the cave. As far as I was concerned, the secret had been out for a long time. These little slips were just confirmation.

"Hey, Emmett," I smiled back. It was thrilling to see the Cullens in their natural habitat. I wrinkled my nose at the words in my own thoughts. I sounded like I wanted to put them on the Discovery Channel as some sort of rare species. I glanced back at Edward and he looked at me with concern, clearly irritated with his family for being so cavalier about their differences. When he caught me looking, though, he smiled reassuringly and placed his hand on my back to guide me forward.

Goosebumps erupted on my arms for the first time, as a shiver ran down my spine. Edward removed his hand at my reaction, much to my chagrin. I glanced at him again, and he was looking away, his face apologetic, as Alice danced ahead as tour guide.

"…and there's Edward's baby, and…"

What?

I blinked and whipped my head around to look at her. Alice was perched on a baby grand piano, and my shoulders untensed. Before I could ask Edward about it, Alice had me halfway up the stairs.

"That's Carlisle and Esme's room, Rose's room, my room, and this is your room…for tonight."

She threw open the door to a beautiful room furnished in gold, warm cloth hanging from the walls, which I understood to be for acoustics once I took in the walls of CDs.

"Alice," Edward snarled. I jumped at the sound. They exchanged violent whispers too sharp and quick for my ears, until Alice straightened up with a satisfied smirk.

"Bella, make yourself feel at home. I'll run over to your house real quick to pick up your clothes, and then we can put them in here. Edward will go get your truck from Mike's."

Blushing, I handed him my key. That was sure to be awkward, and I was hoping that Mike would stay away from my truck when Edward showed up. For Mike's sake. Muttering darkly Edward turned to leave, but he paused at the door with a softened expression. "You'll be alright?" he asked me, a quiet confirmation.

I feigned fear of Alice as I rolled my eyes in her direction. "I'll live."

I turned back to my diminutive pixie vampire friend once her dazzlingly hot brother had vacated the premises. "So what was all that about?" I wanted to know.

"Oh, this is Edward's room," she chirped.

"Edward's – " I choked.

"Yep. He doesn't sleep much."

"Alice… you didn't mention Jasper and Emmett."

She smirked at me, and I sort of inferred what she couldn't tell me for propriety's sake. _Oh._

_It's not like that with me and Edward, _I wanted to tell her_. Yet._

"So, Bella, before I run and get your stuff, what do you want to do tonight? I have ALL sorts of ideas. I will make you forget that that miserable cretin Newton ever existed."

I nodded dumbly, still preoccupied by the idea that I would apparently be sleeping in Edward's bed tonight.

"You know, Jessica Stanley is having a huge party tonight, because her parents are out of town. Rose and I could dress you up and we could go and show him how very far out of his league you are."

_Edward…bed…hot…sleepover…_

"Uh-huh,"

"Great! Check out my closet while I'm gone, and see what you like. We'll dress you for the party when I get back. Be back in a few." She flitted from the room and I swear I saw her fly down the stairs.

Only then did I realize what I'd agreed to.

"_What?_"

"You say somethin', Bella?" Emmett called. I heard Rosalie smack him again, and his wounded "ow".

"No," I lied, flopping down face first onto Edward's gloriously soft gold bed.

**A/N - What should Bella look like once she's done being Guinea Pig Barbie?**


	19. Stunning

**A/N - This chapter is dedicated to Jillian; thanks for being such a loyal friend, and for letting me be the Alice to your Bella.**

**Edward likes reviews even more than he likes beating Mike to a pulp. Not actually, but it's close.**

**Chapter Nineteen: Stunning**

**APOV**

"Alice, she cannot stay at our house tonight!"

I turned to blink up at my virtuous brother with widened eyes. It wasn't the full-blown puppy-dog face yet, but there was the hint of a threat.

"But brother, dearest, you wouldn't help a friend in need? Someone you care about?"

"Not like this," he raked his hand through his hair. "Alice, the temptation is too great." _No shit, Sherlock_, I giggled mentally, hearing the double entendre in his words. "Why should we torture ourselves with the possibilities of what can go wrong? I do care about her – enough that I would keep her away from any danger, including this family."

"Please, Edward. We're not dangerous, and you know it. Just in case, though, I thought it a good idea to confine her scent to one general area, so I put her in your room. You'll be the least in danger of killing her, aside from me. Satisfied?"

"Hardly," he replied scathingly. "You can't see why I would take issue with having her sleep in my room? And why is there a bed in there, Alice?"

"Oh, don't be silly – I'll just tell her that you'll sleep on the couch. And there is a bed in your room because for one thing, Esme would throw us both in time-out if we let a guest sleep on a couch, and for another thing…I thought you might need it." Wink.

I watched in amusement as Edward's eyebrows drew together in silent fury at my innuendos. I couldn't say that I was sympathetic. It was better that he got it from me than from Emmett. Rose hadn't warmed up to Bella enough to restrain her husband. I was hoping she would be willing, at the very least, to help me with Bella's makeover tonight. Though I wouldn't tell Bella so, it was more for Edward's benefit than Mike's.

"While you work through those anger management issues, I have a project waiting for me. Try not to kill the Newton boy, will you?"

"Only if you try to remember that Bella is not your Barbie doll. Besides, I don't think he'd be much missed if I did happen to slip. I've heard Karen Newton's thoughts, and let's just say that I know for a fact that she liked him better as a fetus."

"No promises," we whispered in unison. I heard Edward's ghostly chuckle as I sped away into the violet forest.

I was traveling light – my reconnaissance mission had left me with only a pair of shoes. I'd had no trouble getting into Bella's room. It was keeping myself from pouring lighter fluid in her closet that was the difficulty. Her clothes were appallingly bland.

Ever the optimist, I reasoned with myself that it was better than a closet of orange lycra and fuschia spangles and, God forbid, lime spandex, but at least garish flamenco wannabe's had their own hideous style. Bella wore clothes like prisoners ate oatmeal. And that was a _real_ crime.

"Rose," I called her name when I was a quarter of a mile from the house. I heard the scrape of metal against concrete as she slid out from beneath Emmett's Jeep. Tinkering and tuning the cars was her form of therapy; I knew that she wouldn't be wholly receptive to the idea of a sleepover with Bella. Still… there was hope.

"Will you help me dress Bella?"

"The human can't dress herself?" she asked scornfully.

"Not well," I corrected. "I'll need you to do her hair, maybe her make-up. I've got her outfit in hand."

"Alright." I was surprised; I couldn't fathom her expression, but her agreement pleased me nonetheless. I skipped upstairs to begin my labor of love.

"Bella," I sang, "Let's get to work!"

Her eyes narrowed when she saw my empty arms. She looked pitiful, curled up in a ball on Edward's sofa with that ratty hoodie and jeans that were faded, but not on purpose, let alone artfully. I could fix that.

"Where's Edward? And you couldn't get into my house?"

"Oh, no, I did," I assured her cheerfully. "There was just nothing there worth taking. And you know where Edward is – he's getting your truck." And most likely having an epic internal battle over the ethics of beating Mike Newton to a pulp.

"You couldn't bring me a toothbrush?" she fretted.

"Bella. We _have_ toothbrushes. Seriously, you need to calm down. You don't want a stress breakout for the party tonight."

"I don't like parties. That is why I am stressing. Please don't make me go, Alice."

"But Bella…" My lip quivered. "We've never had a girl's night out before…and you're going to look so beautiful…and Edward will be there."

"He will?" she squeaked.

So long as I had anything to say about it. For one thing, I didn't think he'd let her out of his sight if she was going within a hundred feet of Newton. For another, I was going to have him drooling over her once my makeover was complete. My back-up plan, should any resistance occur, was to threaten him with the stories I could tell Bella…

Really, they were both too easy to manipulate.

People in love always are.

The makeover could have gone more smoothly, but the end result was all that really mattered. Bella looked fierce; it had taken a lot to get her there, though.

She had protested vehemently when I showed her outfit number one: a gold lame miniskirt paired with silver heels and an asymmetrical black top. _I_ thought it would have looked amazing on her, but I should have realized that the heels were too much. Any form of walking was a hazard to Bella.

We opted instead for outfit number two: a mid-thigh length black sheath with geometric silk screen and a cut-out back, paired with simple black flats. Bella still had reservations over the back, but I told her to deal with it. And presumably, she was.

Rose really hadn't helped matters. First she had turned Bella into a clown, to spite me –I hadn't even let Bella see a mirror for that one; I told her the look was too "progressive"- and then she had made her look like a baby prostitute. Her make-up job aside, she had done a nice job with Bella's hair, teasing it into "sex hair," though making snide little comments and false compliments to make Bella blush all the while.

I tried to be strict with her, glaring and pinching when necessary, though even I couldn't resist a chuckle when she had asked Bella if she had frequent buyer points at Amvets. Bella didn't look like she even understood.

In the end, though, Bella looked pretty foxy, if I did say so myself. This evaluation was confirmed by Edward's jaw drop as she descended the stairs. I was so proud; she didn't even trip once. That might have been because she gripped the railing all the way down.

Regardless, Bella's look had the desired effect, and Edward's presence caused Bella to stop shooting wholly ineffective glares in my direction. Though I could never think of my brother in terms of attractiveness, I _did_ approve of his casual button-down, open at the neck, and the fact that he had bothered to comb his hair, which was usually in such disarray. His grin was awfully wide; I hoped it was merely because Bella was such a vision, and not because Mike Newton would be found in a morgue somewhere soon.

For Bella's affections, Mike Newton didn't stand a chance; in this lifetime, or the next. Still, I hoped he was alive for the sake of Jessica's party. His drunken antics were infamous, and would be sure to take the edge off the curiosity of the Cullen presence.

"You look…lovely, Bella." Edward offered her his arm and led her to the car. He looked and sounded smooth to the human, but I could tell how dazzled and nervous he was. Bella blushed. I snickered.

Drooling Stage of Operation Bedward Initiated.


	20. Disturbed

**A/N - The big 20! Thank to all of my readers for sticking with me. Your loyalty means a lot; this one is for you.**

**Chapter Twenty: Disturbed**

**BPOV**

I couldn't quite describe the car ride to Jess' party as awkward, but it was for me. Alice had somehow maneuvered me into the passenger seat with Edward as driver, and her in the back as the tiniest third wheel in existence. _This is not a date_, I reminded myself. It wouldn't do to have my overly-hopeful imagination run away with itself.

I was far more grateful than I had imagined being for Alice's makeover. Watching Edward's eyes pop when I made it down the stairs without falling was worth a hundred hours of dress up. But no more than that.

"We're here!" Alice clapped her hands in excitement as we pulled up to the Stanleys. Despite her extensive wardrobe, with items of clothing for any possible occasion, I had the feeling that she didn't get out much. Thinking back to my hike in the woods with her sparkly brother, I thought I understood why.

Jessica was already tipsy as she answered the door. "OMG, Bella, you look HOT. And," she squinted "Edward? Edward Cullen?"

"I'm aware we weren't invited; I hope you'll forgive the intrusion," he said smoothly, appearing suddenly at my side after parking the car. I noticed that he had parked it responsibly in a space by the curb, as opposed to the other cars littered haphazardly across the lawn.

Jessica's eyes got real wide as she took in his full persuasive glory. "Well, DAMN. Get on in here!"

I didn't want to go inside, but Edward's large and reassuring hand appeared in the middle of my back. "I won't leave you," he whispered.

We went in, and if it hadn't been for Edward, I would have run right back out again, Alice or no Alice. Pixie vampire wrath couldn't been much worse than all of my classmates stumbling around drunk and hooking up before my eyes. I looked up at Edward with terror in my eyes. I thought he would have laughed at my expression if he hadn't been so disgusted by the display of Lauren and Tyler sloppily sucking face not two feet from us.

"Bella," Alice grabbed both of my hands and towed me to the living room, where ear-splitting music seemed to be pumping from two Edward-sized speakers. "It's a party! Dance."

"I don't dance," I hissed in her ear, glancing around to see if Edward had heard. He appeared to be admiring a painting on the wall, oblivious to our conversation, but with his super-vampiric hearing, I knew better. "Remind me to kill you later."

Her laugh at my empty threat tinkled like a chorus of bells.

Edward and I watched in amazement as she bounced into the center of the floor – clad in a strapless fuchsia minidress and the silver heels that I had refused to wear – and started to dance to the beat. I barely blinked and a half dozen guys were all over her, grinding and moving around her as she swayed without concern.

"Unbelievable," Edward muttered darkly. I looked up in surprise; I had been about to say the exact same thing.

"I know. This is crazy."

"Crazy," he chuckled "is an understatement. Alice is going to be in the doghouse for a month, at least. What would Jasper say?" he nodded ruefully at the horde of guys that so surrounded Alice that I could barely see the top of her head anymore.

"Do you want to get some air?" I suggested. I blushed immediately, struck by my own boldness. How pathetic.

If Edward was surprised, he didn't show it. He nodded and led me to sliding glass doors and a deck. The night wasn't chilly yet, but I still shivered as we sat on the wooden steps. A jacket appeared in my lap, and I turned to find Edward staring off into the dark garden.

"Thanks," I mumbled. It was quiet until I worked up the nerve to ask, "Why did you come?"

Edward looked at his hands. I wondered why he did that. In my experience, people who avoided eye contact were often liars. But in Edward's case, I knew it was a different reason. I trusted him. It was as if he was afraid to show any sign of weakness.

"I couldn't let you come here alone after what happened to you today," he admitted.

My heart rate picked up, and of course I had to spoil the mood by pointing out, "Alice is here." Me and my stupid mouth.

"True, but she isn't waiting for you to go into shock like I am. She's ready to believe you're alright, or at least that you will be after a 'girl's night out'. But somehow, I think that you don't process bad things the same way she would."

My throat felt tight. "I'm alright. Really."

"Why don't I believe you?" he asked softly.

I leaned toward him with my breath caught in my chest. The porch light threw dazzling beams of gold into his already intense eyes as he turned to face me. I took a shallow breath as the sliding doors opened behind us and several half-naked people came streaking past us and down to the pool that my human eyes had been too weak to see in the dark. Sigh.

"I have to go to the bathroom," I told him. "I'll be right back." I stood abruptly and went into the house, overwhelmed for the second time as I was assaulted by the sensory overload of blasting music, the smell of alcohol and vomit, and the crush of bodies in every direction.

I was pretty sure I had seen a bathroom just off the living room on our way in. The only problem was, I wasn't sure which way that was.

"Bella!" I turned at the sound of my name, but it wasn't Alice that had called me. I was face to face with a drunken, stoned-out-of his mind Mike. "You look reeeal preddy," he slurred.

"Thanks," I stammered uncomfortably. "Um, do you know where the bathroom is?"

"Yeaaaah," he grinned, and gestured to me to follow him.

And, like an idiot, I did.

It was a few more steps to a turn down a quiet hallway; quiet except for the moans and rustling coming from behind closed doors.

"Bafroom," Mike said triumphantly, pointing shakily at the single door.

"Thanks," I repeated, and left him. I really needed to pee. When I went to close the door, though, I nearly jumped out of my skin. He was still there, staring at my dress. "Um, Mike? I'm going to the bathroom now. So if you could leave…"

He took a step toward me and shut the door. Crap.

Crap. Crap. Crap.

Mike took a chunk of my hair and lifted it in his hand, sniffing it. "Smell yummy, Belly. Bet you taste yummy," his tongue flicked out and licked the ends of my hair.

"Put that down," I ordered. He looked up at me, and I could see that he wasn't himself. Then I was truly afraid.

He pushed me against the sink, and I gasped as my back hit the cold porcelain. I knew it would bruise, but I had bigger worries. I looked frantically for anything I could use to defend myself, but I only found a tooth brush and a roll of toilet paper. I could stab him with the toothbrush, but it would require more force than I had to be effective. Mike's hands turned me around and clawed at the buttons at the back of my dress, and I was suddenly grateful that Alice had put me in such a high maintenance dress, rather than one with a simple zipper.

I tried to shove him away from me, but he was just so much bigger. He gave up on the buttons and turned me back against the wall, and my head cracked against the tile. Stunned, I closed my eyes against the pain and tried to will away the little bursts of red and white light as Mike slid down my body and pushed my dress upward.

The bang of the door smashing into the wall was so loud that I thought that a gun had gone off. I opened my eyes to Edward filling the doorframe, silhouetted against the darkness of the hall, waves of fury radiating out from his perfect body. I sank into the wall with exquisite relief.

Mike fell over at the loud sound, and banged his head on the bowl of the toilet. He was so, so lucky; he seemed unconscious by the time Edward got to him. Edward's beautiful hands shook as he looked at Mike, curled pathetically on the tile floor. There was more fire in his eyes than I could have imagined; even his fury at Mike's earlier behavior toward me could not be compared to this.

He was careful not to spare a glance for Mike after that, careful not to touch him. I thought he was trying to control his temper, because we both knew that if he lost it, Mike would very likely end up dead.

"Bella," he whispered. I was shaking as his cool hands cradled my face. The red and white spots were replaced by a swirling darkness behind my eyelids as arms lifted me and took me away.


	21. Moment

**A/N - Hello lovelies, I hope you enjoy this one :) As you can see, Edward isn't the _only _"Cock-block Cullen"...**

**This chapter is dedicated to Finny -congratulations, babe. And remember, Edward likes reviews even more than Bella's dress.**

**Chapter Twenty-one: Moment**

**BPOV**

Edward's face was the first thing I saw.

What a nice dream. So realistic, too. I stretched and rolled over in the vast, comfortable bed. "Mmmm…Edward," I mumbled.

"She's awake!" I frowned. Alice wasn't in my dream. Get out, Alice.

"Bella, can you hear me?" Edward's voice was velvety and intense with concern. I opened my eyes again to find them staring down at me, huddled over my bed.

This wasn't a dream. I turned firehydrant red. _Mmmm…Edward?_ This couldn't be happening.

I sat up and winced as all the blood rushed to my head. OW. There was a very distinct throbbing at the back of my head, where it had collided with Jessica's bathroom wall.

"Can I have some ice?" I asked weakly.

"Show me where it hurts," Alice demanded. I pointed to the spot. She grabbed Edward's arm and yanked him closer, putting his hand on the back of my head. My cheeks progressed to maroon. My head was happy, though – Edward's hand was just as cold as ice, better suited to the shape of my head, and much less wet.

"Alice –" His voice was tight, and I knew he felt just as awkward as I did.

"I'm sure we have some ibuprofen somewhere," she assured me. "Carlisle!"

She danced off, leaving me smack in the middle of the gold sea of a bed, and Edward's hand attached to my head.

I blinked, recovering my sense of time and place. And then I started to shake as my head was flooded with the memories from the party. Edward sat down beside me, keeping his hand firmly on the back of my head.

"Bella…" he whispered uncertainly.

"I'm f-fine. You don't have to do that," I told him. He lowered his hand slowly, looking at me like I was a bomb about to go off. _Please don't let me cry in front of him, please don't let me cry in front of him…_

"I'm _fine_," I repeated, my voice spiking up an octave. Then I started sobbing and I threw my arms around him.

Well, crying in front of him wasn't the same as crying ON him…

He was an immovable statue; if I wasn't so hysterical, I would have been embarrassed beyond belief and upset by his response, or lack thereof. I kept waiting for his arms to fold around me.

And, slowly, they did. Edward's strong arms wrapped around me with the gentlest of cool pressure, holding me like the most delicate china, so careful.

He let me cry myself out on his shoulder, and as my sobs lessened in frequency, he laid his head close to mine – not quite touching, but close enough to feel his soothing coolness – and hummed a lullaby into my hair.

"Eeeeeeeeee!" Alice's happy dance was constrained and barely audible to my ears, but in our little bubble of musical silence, it had all the impact of a car getting run over by a train.

"You two are so cute!"

I nearly fell on my face as Edward's arms disappeared and he moved to stand in the doorway with her. He took the ibuprofen and brought it back to me. He handed me two pills without speaking or looking at me.

"I'll get you some water," he uttered. And then he was gone.

"_Alice_," I huffed.

"Stupid boy," she huffed right back, though her glare fell on the now-shut door. "Sorry to interrupt your moment. I tried to restrain myself…"

"We were not having a _moment_," I corrected, reddening as I did so.

"Bella. I _know _what a 'moment' looks like, and you and my poor, unfortunate brother were most certainly having one. Deal with it."

"Fine. Whatever you want to call it, the fact remains, he ran out of here." I flopped back onto the pillows and rolled over to find Alice standing over me. If it had been anyone else, I probably would have jumped, but at this point, I was very used to the little creep.

"Scoot over," she said.

"What?"

"Scoot over. This is going to be a real sleepover, bonding and gossip included."

I started to make room, but then I realized that I was still in my dress.

The-do-not-attempt-removal-without-skills dress. I was sure Edward's extremely dexterous-looking hands could have it off in a jiffy.

Before I could complete my not-so-sleepover-with-his-sister-kosher thought, Alice had flung a pair of pajamas into my face. They were big, they were blue, and I loved them. Not even a hint of lace. Well, I'll be damned.

Alice helped me out of the dress, and I thought of all the things I wanted to ask. I crawled back into bed, where she was careful to put a layer of blanket between us so I wouldn't catch the chill from her skin.

"Alice?" I whispered, facing away on my side toward the glass wall.

"What is it, Bella?"

"Will you tell me everything?" It was a big request, I couldn't deny that. But I needed it to take my mind off tonight's events. It was too much to handle for one day, and I'd rather process the secrets of someone else's life than my own. I think she understood, too, because, after a moment of silence she said, "Sure, Bella. What do you want to know?"

"Can you start with the things that make you…what you are? What everyone in your family is. Like the coldness, and the speed…"

She sighed. "Well, since you already know _what_ we are, it couldn't really hurt to fill you in on the details. Though, Edward would argue otherwise."

I wanted to follow up on her comment with another question, but I held myself in patient silence as I waited for her to continue.

"Think about what we are, Bella. Essentially, we're dead. That is why our skin is cold, why we have no heartbeat, no need to breathe, to sleep."

My breath caught at these revelations, and I was glad to be facing the wall, so that she couldn't see my traitorous face.

"But then, as you said, there is the speed. The strength. The special abilities in some cases, such as Edward's and mine. I suppose you could call us 'dead with benefits,'" she chortled.

"Your ability is to see the future, isn't it?" I couldn't keep myself from interrupting.

"Yes, very good, Bella. You're far more observant than Edward gives you credit for. Of course, we haven't been very careful around you."

_And why is that? Was it a mistake?_ What came out was, "What is Edward's talent?"

Alice laughed. "I'm sure he'll be very angry with me for telling you, but I'll keep my thoughts hidden. He reads minds, or, more accurately, he hears thoughts the way you or I might hear people speaking."

I was sure she heard my heart rate pick up. My pulse rushing in my own head drowned out every other sound I heard. If Edward could hear my thoughts, had heard every one of my thoughts…"

"He can't hear yours," Alice confided. "You're the only one. It frustrates him, but that's why I think you're perfect for each other. It's like you were meant for him."

I blushed heavily in the darkness, though her words pleased me to no end, far beyond relief. I'd admitted to Alice my interest in Edward, but I had no idea that she saw just how captivated I was. I'd never been the type to fall in love, especially recklessly, nonsensically, but I had.

"Why am I so safe with you?" I wondered, my voice shaking, and my phrasing awkward. Alice didn't seem to mind.

"We're what you might find analogous to vegetarians. We drink blood, but only that of animals, never humans. That's why you can see the gold color of our eyes; if you ever met a normal vampire, their eyes would be crimson."

I shivered and thought of a way to better phrase my next question.

"Does Edward think I'm safe?"

"Edward thinks that you're dangerous."

"Me?" I squeaked in surprise.

"Yes, you," Alice sounded smug. "Though we only drink the blood of animals, fragrance of human blood is still alluring to us. Some scents are stronger than others, different for different people, different members of our kind, much like a perfume. Yours is the strongest, the most powerful, the most devastating that Edward has ever encountered in a century."

"That's why he left?" I guessed, my voice ragged and so soft that only she could hear.

"Yes. But he came back," she reminded me.

"_Why_?"

"He just needed to see that he was strong enough. And he is. Whether he realizes it or not, he could never hurt you, Bella."

"I know," I whispered. I did know. It was there in the way he looked at me, the way he defended me. No one who could protect me the way he tried to could ever hurt me, of that I was sure.


	22. Revelations

**A/N - Okay, so this week I ended up doing something a little unexpected - you might like it, or you might hate it. The way things were going, I ended up overlapping with my one-shot Lights and Resolutions, so I decided to retell it from Alice's POV. For those of you that have read it, sorry for the repetition; for those of you that haven't, the context of L and R is different, but I think it's still a good fit here. **

**Well...enough out of me. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Chapter Twenty-two: Revelations**

**APOV**

"She's sleeping," I announced.

Edward's fingers pounded into the piano keys with slightly increased pressure, still not enough to pull a sound from the instrument. I understood that this strange musical silence was for Bella's sleep.

"You should play a song for her when she wakes up," I suggested. "You might have to play a little louder for her to hear, though."

His glare didn't quite intimidate me, but I knew I had to calm him down before I added to his fury. The Newton's didn't deserve to lose a son, no matter what he had done or tried to do.

Edward's expression softened. "How is she?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

"I think she'll be just fine. Honestly," I insisted "I can see the future, remember? She'll have an egg-sized bump on the back of her head tomorrow, but the emotional and mental damage isn't extensive. She understands that Mike was drunk and high, and – "

"Why should that matter?" he burst out in a fierce whisper.

"It doesn't, really. Bella is able to forgive Mike, or at least forget about him, because you saved her. She only cares about you; he is nothing to her."

"You shouldn't be telling me these things," he said harshly.

"You'd know them anyway," I shrugged. "Just because you can't hear her thoughts doesn't mean you can't hear what she chooses to tell me. You can't protect her from everything, Edward. It's a cold world."

He stiffened and stood up from the piano bench, walking over to stare at the glass wall.

"What are you playing at, Alice? You shouldn't have told her about us."

"She already knew," I pointed out. "She figured it out on her own."

"Not everything you told her. And you think you told her everything? That there are no secrets between us? What about the fact that by doing so you've placed her life in jeopardy, and taken her options away – did you tell her that, Alice?"

"Bella knows that we would never hurt her," I sighed, rolling my eyes in exasperation at his hysteria.

"Us, no. But there are others, you know that. Her understanding of us is a broken law."

"It would never come to that," I insisted stubbornly. _You'll change her._ _You wouldn't let the Volturi touch her, and neither would I._

"Change her," Edward repeated from my thoughts. "That is madness, Alice. Even from you."

"Oh grow up, Edward," I growled back. _Just accept the fact that you'll someday be together. _

"I will never _be_ with Bella."

"You _will_," I contradicted happily. I hadn't meant to reveal all I knew, but now was as good a time as any. After careful cultivation, Bella was besotted with Edward, Edward loved her possibly even more, in accordance with his extreme nature, and both of them were too scared to do anything about it. Too bad I already knew how the story would end. "I know it, Edward. I've seen it. Do you want to see?"

His face blanched in shock, and his hand flew to the bridge of his nose as he pinched it in his frustration. "No."

_We can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way…_

With Edward, I almost always preferred the hard way. It was just so much more fun, a much more satisfying victory.

I selected several key images and attempted to shove them into his mind. Edward resisted, unsurprisingly, but still annoyingly. He set up a shield around his mind, blocking me much the same way as I would block him. He would break eventually, though.

Edward was strong, and he could outlast any enemy, but he had not been conditioned to defend against those he loved, especially a sister. Sure enough, within a few intense seconds he let down his guard and I forced my images into his sight.

"Exhibit A," I said in triumph, resisting the urge to use Vanna White hand motions as I did so. I showed first a vision of Edward and Bella in a meadow, their meadow as it would one day be, holding hands. I enjoyed the momentary flash of shock in his expression before flinging another image: the scene of their wedding. It had pleased me to no end when I had first seen it; I'd had to plan it all out in minutest detail of course.

I showed him all but Bella; I was her maid of honor. This surprise was cushioned for him by the brief glimpse into our friendship. Edward seemed suspicious; the wedding scene I could have easily created in my own head, and Bella's absence seemed to add evidence to his theory.

"It's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding," I sniffed. Men. Didn't they understand anything about tradition?

Edward continued to look mystified, but I suspected that this was a product of the experience as a whole. I flitted over the few visions I'd had that chronologically followed the wedding. Though the concept of Bella and Edward's honeymoon was essentially pleasing to me, reinforcing the notion that they would so permanently be together, the image in practice was disturbing, as a sister to both. I tried to afford him as little a view as possible, though judging by his bug-eyes he had caught a few of the scenes. "I owe my future sister that much privacy. For now," I muttered, nearly bursting at the seams with satisfaction at Edward's utter discomposure. _Jeez, Edward, you don't look too apoplectic, or anything_.

I had waited so long to show him all of this. I had guarded it so carefully, painfully in my mind. This, I felt sure, was the opportune moment to reveal everything. Witnessing how close Bella and Edward had become had convinced me of that. She looked to him, trusted him to protect her, and he had no thought but to do just that. That was more substantial than just common romantic affection. In a sick way, I wanted to thank Mike Newton for providing such traumatic events as to expedite the romance.

In my distraction, an image I hadn't meant to release just yet slipped through my filter. Bella as a vampire, holding her and Edward's child.

"_What_?" Edward's exclamation ripped through the silence of the living room as an explosion in a dark and barren desert.

"I know," I agreed softly, joining in his incredulity – to a point.

"Impossible," he declared.

"Clearly not," I retorted. If I had seen it – and I most certainly had – it would come to be. So long as their resolve didn't waver, that vision would become reality. The vision in itself was incredible; none of us had ever heard of such a thing – a half human, half vampire baby. I wasn't completely convinced that Edward understood that it was his.

It proved to be too much for him; he actually _sat_. We never used our couches. Esme would be so proud.

His silence didn't concern me; it was much to process. I wished that for once our gifts might be exchanged, so that I could hear his thoughts and he might have further confirmation of his future's path without my assistance.

He stood abruptly and moved to the glass wall, staring off into the night as it faded gradually toward morning.

"I am returning to Denali, Alice."

This turn of events shocked me into speech before I could fully process his words. "No! Edward, you can't," I pleaded "you'll kill Esme. I'll miss you. I've missed you too much already, the first time you left."

I couldn't understand how his mind had turned things in the wrong direction so quickly; I'd meant to show him how right he was to be close to her, not help him to convince himself that this was wrong. Maybe I was at fault in this.

I faced him miserably, waiting for him to turn and look me in the eye. So help me God, I would use the puppy-dog face. Though the situation merited more severe measures, it was all I had in the way of leverage. That and the assurance of what I'd already shown him: that he'd always be good for Bella, despite his fears to the contrary.

"You've already proven that you're strong enough. You won't hurt her," I promised.

"I can't take chances."

I couldn't believe this. After all I'd just shown him to _prove_ they were meant to be together. My only weapon now was the truth that he refused to acknowledge.

"Edward, you can't leave. You love her."

Edward froze, immobile in an emotion I couldn't discern.

"You're wrong," he whispered.

"I'm not," I insisted, stepping toward him with caution, fearing that he might bolt for Alaska at any sudden movement. "You know I'm right, Edward. You love her. She has feelings for you, I know she d – "

"Stop." he commanded.

"She does," I plunged on, hoping that my words had affected him as strongly as they appeared to have done, wavering his resolve. "Maybe she even loves you already, I don't know. But I do know that she will. I've seen it. She'll love you enough to choose you, over everything. You can't rob her of that chance for her own life by leaving her. If you love her – which you do – how could you do that to her?"

And that is when I made good on my threat to use every adorable sad-face at my disposal. Beat that, moron.

Edward knew what I was doing. He knew it, and it angered him, probably more so because it was working. Distraction tactics. "Tell me why you love her," I cooed.

Edward gave in. I was winning as his shoulders slumped and his head fell to his hands, but I couldn't help but feel some measure of pity for him. Though he was being exceedingly stupid about the whole affair, I knew that it wasn't easy for him, and that everything he'd done had been from a desire to do good.

Though he said nothing, his expression became open, resigned. His sigh seemed to ask how long I knew that he loved her. Longer than you, baby brother. I opened my mind once more and raised the volume of my thoughts so that he would know to listen.

_I brought us to Forks for a reason._

"You…what?"

_I saw her coming._

"When," Edward asked, his voice flat, completely devoid of emotion, save for the light and infrequent twitching of his fingers.

"About a decade ago, maybe more," I answered. "I saw her coming – I saw her as my sister, my _best friend_. You have no idea how long I've waited."

How long I've planned, pictured, coordinated…

"You certainly kept it well hidden," he commended drily.

"I know." I grinned. It had been necessary at the time; it was a risky business, and if Edward had known his uncertain fate, he never would have allowed himself to come here. Now, he was far too captivated to leave, willingly or unwillingly.

I looked at him pointedly then; it hadn't escaped my notice that he hadn't answered my question.

"I…love Bella," he admitted for the first time, his voice low and careful, speaking the words like a new language. "Because she is everything that I am not. Warm, trusting – innocent – mysterious, surprising…she fascinates me," he finished hurriedly. Minus five points for treating your future wife like a science experiment.

"You are all of those things," I protested, deciding that Edward's self-image ranked above my indignation about his "fascination" on my priorities list. _Well, maybe not warm_, I amended. Not literally, anyway.

"I'm hardly innocent, Alice," he shot back. I fought to keep from rolling my eyes. How many decades would it take him to get over his "rebellious" years, if you can call a vigilante vampire a rebel? So he killed a few murderers, big deal.

Either way…_You are when it comes to her_, I retorted.

We stood in silence, glaring, and I couldn't restrain myself any longer. It would bother me to no end if I didn't address it.

"She _fascinates_ you?"

"It's more than that – when I'm near Bella…I don't feel so alone."

Now _that_ was the appropriate response I had been looking for. Bravo, Edward.

Though I had finally drawn the truth from him, though he had seen for himself Bella's importance, and her place in his future, his admission made me a little sad. He must have been lonelier than he'd let on, the lone man in a family of couples. It was just as Esme had always feared. I supposed the rest of us had preferred to believe that he was as strong as he seemed. And he was strong, incredibly so – now he had someone to be strong for.

"You know," I told him quietly, "the fact that I keep seeing your futures – your future together – despite your resolution to stay away means that you will break it. Some things are bigger than your control, Edward." _Fate_.

I left him with one final piece of advice as I retreated from the lightening wall.

"Don't fight it."


	23. Uncomfortable

**A/N - Lotsa Bedward awkward: Enjoy!**

**Chapter Twenty-three: Uncomfortable**

**BPOV**

I woke in a considerable amount of pain. And I knew a lot about that least favorite four letter word of mine. Ten Mike Newtons couldn't make me this miserable. After being so resilient following a day like the one I'd had, it was beyond irritating to be reduced to a moaning, curled-up ball by _cramps_.

This would happen to me. Just as I'd been having such pleasant dreams of Edward, too. I flushed, suddenly recalling that those dreams had involved the rather large and comfortable bed I was entrenched in, a bottle of whipped cream, and a pair of handcuffs. Okay, so I wasn't the most original fantasizer in that respect, but it was a stretch for me. My level of experience was Mike Newton parking-lot kiss.

I had been _much_ more responsive to dream Edward.

Oh God. What if I had sleep-talked, or worse – sleep-moaned? I thought with horror of their super-vampiric-hearing. Well, they most likely hadn't heard me, as they hadn't come to check on me. As the weak, vulnerable human, I tended to bring out their hovering tendencies, and they most definitely would have responded to my shift from _Ohhh Edward_ to _Owwww_.

Taking a small measure of comfort from that thought, I rolled out of bed and limped down the stairs in my quest for apple juice. I wondered how well vampire fridges were stocked. Knowing Alice, and being newly acquainted with Esme, I guessed that they had every designer food known to man.

I managed to reach the bottom of the stairs safely, and got to the kitchen in time for another crippling attack to my abdomen. I barely noticed Alice and Edward having a low and rapid argument in the living room, and they were distracted enough that they didn't seem to notice me.

The Cullen fridge was vast, but I had no difficulty finding the apple juice. Pouring myself a big glass, I chugged it down, and six glasses later I was passed out on the table.

That was how Edward found me, slumped over his kitchen table a few minutes past five. It seemed that Alice had gone out, because she wasn't flitting around me in concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked in alarm.

"Yeah," I said groggily, embarrassed to have him see me sprawled over the marble countertop in my pajamas. They weren't even _my_ pajamas: I was still in the oversized blue ones that Alice had put me in. In fact, as they were far too large for Alice or Esme; too small for Carlisle, Jasper, and Emmett; and Rosalie probably slept in a negligee, they were most likely Edward's.

In any case, my needs trumped my humiliation. "Do you have any ibuprofen?"

Edward's face smoothed with sympathy and understanding as he assumed that my head was hurting from where I'd hit it on Jessica's bathroom wall. He moved swiftly, but slower than I suspected he could – he didn't seem as comfortable as Alice did about revealing too much abnormal behavior. Still, he had my pill ready much more quickly than I'd expected.

"Do you have a headache?" he inquired solicitously.

"Sure."

He nodded, turning toward the stove. "Would you like an egg?"

My stomach revolted at the suggestion. "No thanks." I didn't really think I could support anything but apple juice without discomfort.

"A bagel?"

"No, I'm really not hungry…"

"Some toast? I could make you French toast…" he offered.

Any other day, if a teenage boy had offered to make me French toast, I would have married him. Well, not really, because marriage wasn't high on my to-do list with Renee's aversion, and according to Alice, Edward wasn't exactly a teenager…

Either way, I appreciated the thought, but was frustrated that he didn't seem to understand my predicament.

I was at once surprised and horribly embarrassed. His being a vampire, I'd sort of assumed that he would be able to tell what the matter was, but reflecting on all that Alice had told me last night, what with their not needing to breathe and my scent being his greatest temptation, I decided it made sense that he held his breath around me.

The upside of this arrangement was that he didn't comprehend why I was flopped over his kitchen table. This was also the downside; I continued to be mortified, waiting in fear for the understanding to hit him while he continued to offer me breakfast food with no success.

I thought he persisted more out of frustration than anything; _they_ had no need for human food after all. They finally had a human in their house, and he couldn't get me to eat a bite.

We had an hour of the awkward sequence of silence, followed by an accidental meeting of eyes, holding that eye contact for just a fraction too long, and the inevitable nervous chuckle. This series of unfortunate events repeated no less than five times. It was horrifying, but somehow, the awkwardness seemed to be sprung out of an unintentional closeness, rather than a need to get away.

One of my favorite things about Edward was his sense of other people's needs; he didn't try to force conversation on me, and silently refilled my glass whenever it was in danger of becoming empty. He hardly looked up when I slipped off my stool to get dressed. He would be very easy to live with, like Charlie.

Charlie. I tried to linger at the Cullen's for as long as possible. Well, as long as was customary for a sleepover, anyway. I didn't want to go home to Charlie just yet, but there was no doubt in my mind that Alice and Esme would keep me forever if I didn't leave sometime.

Alice and I went for a walk around the Cullen property before I left; it was certainly beautiful – so green with the meadow-like front yard, and the river winding around back. She seemed strangely distant and subdued.

I debated whether or not to say anything, but I finally blurted, "Is everything alright?"

She blinked and her eyes refocused onto my face. "Yes, of course, Bella, why wouldn't it be?"

I shrugged lightly and we walked on in companionable silence. Despite her assurance, I couldn't help but feel that Alice and Edward's serious conversation reflected some change.

Around noon, Edward brought my truck around, and offered to carry my things out. Too bad I had nothing for him to take.

"Thank you so much for having me in your home," I said to Carlisle and Esme, who met me at the door on my way out.

"Anytime, dear," Esme offered me a warm hug "Please don't hesitate to come again – you're always welcome here."

"Yeah, Bella, what's ours is yours," Alice agreed. "You're one of the family."

I could have sworn I saw Edward throw a quick glare at her.

When I got home, I was surprised to see that Charlie's driveway wasn't empty. There was a rusty Volkswagen that I didn't recognize, and deep, throaty laughter was coming from the house.

I climbed the steps with empty hands and let myself in, finding three men assembled in my living room.

"Jake!"

"Hey Bells," he grinned, moving away from his father's wheelchair to stand by me. "It's good to see you."

Flustered, I was saved from replying by Charlie and Billy's gruff greetings.

"Good to have you home, Bells. I didn't have anything to offer Billy and Jake but a can of tuna fish."

"What else is new?" Billy muttered in amusement. "Don't you pay him any mind, Bella. Your dad was living on Cheerios and cold pizza before you came."

I forced a laugh and Jake was quick to occupy my attention as Billy and Charlie turned back to the game.

"So, who had the slumber party?" he snickered.

I frowned at his teasing, unsure whether or not to answer. I couldn't resist seeing the shock on his face when I said the name.

"Alice Cullen."

I watched in amazement as the hair on his arms stood up. Jake's eyes flicked toward the television to ensure that our dads were still preoccupied.

"I wonder what that must have been like," he muttered.

"As normal as sleepovers can be," I conjectured, not having many to compare it with.

"I'm sure. Gee, Bells, your Saturday nights must not be busy if your plans are with a couple of v- _Cullens_. Y'know, you're always welcome down in La Push. I know Billy would appreciate the company, so he wouldn't have to resort to coming up here to bug Charlie."

I grimaced. "Well, since you put it so nicely…I might take you up on that offer." Just leave my friends alone.

Charlie put on his boots and stumped over to where we sat at the kitchen table.

"Billy and I are going out fishing; I wasn't sure what time you were coming home…you can come with us, of course."

My eyes widened with horror at the prospect of me with a fishing rod in hand. With my sensitivity to blood, gutting my own dinner did not seem like a wonderful plan. "That's okay, Dad. I have some homework to finish before tomorrow."

"Jake? You coming, or do you want to get some homework done, too?"

Did I detect a mischievous twinkle in Billy's eye?

Jake's pretty copper skin turned just a shade redder, and I balked at the possibility of having yet another admirer. Jake was harmless, though. Still…I'd thought the same about Mike just a few weeks ago.

"Only if I won't be bothering you, Bella," he said in a quieter voice than I'd ever heard him use.

"No, you won't be bothering me," I replied, blushing myself. "You might get bored, though," I warned.

"With you?" Jake grinned "not likely."


	24. Away

**A/N - Appropriate to the chapter title, I will be away for a month, but don't worry - of course I had you all in mind and I've prepared all my chapters in advance and given my friend Jillian strictest instructions on how to upload them each and every Friday. So, Jillian, this chapter and the next three are dedicated to you, babe **

**Please still review - I love to hear your comments and I'll reply to every one as soon as I'm back!**

**Much love, and...Enjoy!**

**Chapter Twenty Four: Away**

**BPOV**

I woke in the morning, dreading school more than any other day. In a school this small, I really couldn't handle seeing Mike. I dressed, ate, and packed my school bag slowly.

I jumped when I glanced out the window to find a car waiting for me.

"Edward?" I called uncertainly, poking my head out the front door. I pulled it swiftly back inside as I remembered that I hadn't quite gotten around to brushing my hair yet. After a quick dash to the bathroom, I ran out the door and locked it before I walked as casually as I could to the Volvo.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, as I slid into the passenger seat.

"Good morning to you, too." He smirked, watching me blush. "I thought you might like a ride today. You had a long weekend – who knows what kind of driving state you're in."

I bit my lip, conflicted with embarrassment and gratitude for his kindness. He probably understood exactly how much support I needed to get through my day today. Still, I wondered if it wasn't wiser to have Alice take me to school. I was much less likely to distract or be distracted by the driver that way.

"How was the rest of your weekend?" I asked as we turned onto the highway.

"Very pleasant," he returned. "I went for a hike with Emmett for a few hours."

"Does that mean you went hunting?" I guessed, knowing I was right when his back stiffened and his hands clenched around the steering wheel. "I thought so, by your eyes," I told him. "They're much lighter today, and Alice said they get darker when you need to go hunting."

"You and Alice had quite the talkative sleepover, it seems," he muttered.

I shrugged in response. "Alice did most of the talking. I just listened."

We pulled into the parking lot of Forks High School, and I could see the advantages of driving as fast as Edward did. We had arrived much earlier than I had anticipated, and I guessed that this had been intentional on Edward's part, an effort to help me avoid Mike.

I wasn't so lucky, though. I spotted Mike standing in my usual parking space. I prayed that he would be too distracted by his searching for my red truck to pay any attention to the silver Volvo.

No. Such. Luck.

"Crap," I muttered, as I watched through the passenger window as Mike's head turned slowly in our direction - in my opinion, with all the inevitable horror of a movie scene. _Don't turn around!_ Too late.

Edward frowned at my sudden distress, and I continued to watch Mike's face shift from recognition to surprise to confusion to fury. Great. Here it comes.

"Let me handle this," Edward said quietly.

I barely had time to blink up at him in disbelief before he was out of the car, and Mike was steadily approaching.

Edward met him halfway, wanting – I thought – to keep Mike away from me. He subtly redirected Mike closer to his own car, shielding me from view with his height. Though I was wholly appreciative of the gesture, there was no way that I could just sit in the car and let Edward fight my battles for me.

I opened the car door and tumbled out in my haste, forgetting to undo my seat belt in the process. Edward glanced over at me briefly before his eyes flicked back to Mike. How embarrassing.

I recovered myself and walked quickly to where they stood, careful to place my feet on even ground. As I reached them, I caught the words "girlfriend stealer" falling out of Mike's mouth.

As a result, my face was just a shade redder, and my tone hostile as I demanded of Mike, "What do you want?"

"Bella," his own face reddened with anger, and he jerked his thumb at Edward. "What are you doing with _him_?"

I could have replied: _Edward kindly gave me a ride to school this morning_. I could have replied: _He is my friend; he did me a favor_. But I was sick of Mike and his drama. So what came out was:

"None of your damn business."

"_None of my _– " he spluttered. "The last time _I_ checked, you were my girlfriend."

I was about to say _The last time __**I**__ checked, you were a scumbag that I definitely dumped_ when Edward grabbed both sides of Mike's jacket collar.

"You listen here," Edward hissed into Mike's semi-petrified face. "Bella is not your girlfriend. She has made it very clear that she will accept no more advances from you, and yet you seem to have very much difficulty comprehending this idea. You'll stay away from her, now."

"Like hell I will! Who do you think you are, to just come and interfere with our business?" Mike demanded, struggling unsuccessfully to pull his jacket out of Edward's grip.

Edward tightened his grip, and lowered his voice. "Someone who will not let a menace like you harm innocent people, especially _her_."

"Me? Harm?" Mike cried "She's the one who cheated on me with you – I wouldn't hurt her, even if she is a tramp."

Mike blurred out of eyelevel so quickly that I heard the impact first, rather than saw it. The metal of his car made a loud popping sound as he dented the roof, and I was glad that no one has been around to witness.

"Believe me, you _will_ stay away from her."

Edward spun me gently around and marched me back to the Volvo, where he opened the passenger door for me. Unquestioningly, I got back into the car and waited for him to drive, but he didn't move a muscle. The silence was so oppressive that the only sound to be heard was Mike's alternating cries of pain and curses.

"Should we call an ambulance?" I asked nervously.

Edward said nothing.

I glanced through the windshield to Mike's car, wishing that I had never met him. I felt the bile rise in my throat as I watched Edward's face. His expression was blank, but it was a hard blankness. I knew him well enough by now to understand that a bleak resolution was forming beneath his smooth façade.

"You shouldn't have done that," I croaked.

Edward looked at me, and his golden eyes were wide, expressing something that he couldn't say and I couldn't understand.

"I had to make sure he wouldn't hurt you anymore," he said softly.

"I know," I told him "but now you'll be in trouble – Mike will tell the school administration, the police, maybe. Your family – "

I broke off at the horrible possibilities my mind could concoct.

"Bella, I think you should go inside," Edward said gently, looking up at the sky through the strip of blue glass at the top of the windshield.

My heartbeat picked up. "You have to leave, don't you?" I guessed in alarm.

He didn't deny it.

Edward did not look at me as he stepped out of the Volvo once more, came around to my side and opened the door. I shook my head in ill-fated denial. He couldn't have to leave – it had happened so fast. And all over me.

"Alice will be here in less than a minute; she'll meet you at your locker," he told me. "I won't leave you alone."

His long, dark eyelashes flashed skyward as his eyes met mine for the shortest moment. As weak as my frail, human mind was, it captured the image like a burning photograph, clinging to the fading detail like precious cinders.

My own eyelashes fell, and he was gone.

I whispered into the sudden rain after him.

"Don't go."


	25. News

**A/N - Sometimes Alice's plans don't always work out. Still, you'd never catch _me_ betting against her... :)**

**Chapter Twenty Five: News**

**APOV**

"Remind me why we have to go to school," Jasper groaned, toying with a strand of my hair.

I laughed as I wrapped my arms around his neck and let him pull me to the hardwood, tangled halfway in the bedsheets. I loved this second chance at life; I could remember very little about my first, less than most.

I did remember the feel of hard ground. The soft, fibrous texture of floorboards against my skin couldn't compare to that.

Thinking of my old half-life reminded me of Bella. How beautiful the world would be to her once she became like me, like Edward. For now, we were her world. It didn't take a vampire's eyesight to see that.

I nuzzled into Jasper's neck. "We have to go," I whispered "to see how our little human friend is getting along in the world."

"_Your_ little human friend."

"Ours," I reproached, smacking his arm. There was no way he was getting me to skip class now. Aside from the fact that my attendance record was, and had always been, perfect.

"In any case," I reminded him "we have to keep up appearances. You like it here, don't you? The longer we keep up, the longer we get to stay."

"Yes, I do like it here," he murmured. "Right here." He rolled over, pinning me to the floor.

I laughed, and slipped out from beneath him in a motion so quick it was like being ether.

I was dressed to the nines for another dreary high school day in less than three seconds. I knew that Bella and the boys didn't understand why I bothered. I knew that for Rose, it was a matter of vanity. For me, it was a thing of integrity, making the most of an opportunity that I hadn't had the first time around. Who knew – I might even get voted "best dressed" in the Forks yearbook.

As I was slipping on a silver ballet flat, I caught a flash of Edward tossing the Newton boy onto his car roof.

"No," I gasped.

Jasper was with me in half a second, his arms twined around my waist in concern now, all romance forgotten.

"It's fine," I whispered through blurred eyes. I searched the future, unfocused, for anything I could see. "I'll meet you at school," I told Jasper, placing my small hands atop his and gently unfolding his arms. There was no need to worry him.

The only lie I would ever tell him would be one to protect.

I met Edward on the side of the highway. From my car, I spotted the slight indentations made in the muddied soil by his tires as they turned off into the brush. A soft rain was falling, filling the crevices in his path.

"Edward." I stepped toward him with my umbrella raised to protect the impractical silk of my dress. He stood motionless, nearly one with the sentinel trees. His body was ancient, but his soul embodied the same spirit as they did.

"I lost my temper, Alice."

"He isn't dead?" I whispered, looking for confirmation.

"He'll be fine. I'll be highly surprised if he has so much as a bruise. I was easier on him than he deserved, but I suppose my instinct was to keep from truly harming him. At most, I scared him thoroughly. Carlisle has taught me well. It's a shame that my peace has the same aftereffects of violence; they'll be after me now. It needn't affect the rest of you, though."

My anger flared through my momentary relief. "Not _affect_ us, Edward? Newton won't let this go. And we'll stand behind you, whatever happens. Worse comes to worse, I'm positive Carlisle will be able to negotiate – he'll smooth things over. Don't act like you are alone in this."

"I will be," he said mildly, looking at some piece of the scenery I was neglecting to notice in my worry. His lack of eye contact was concerning; it indicated that he was about to say or do something he knew I wouldn't like.

"You're not leaving," I said flatly.

"Tell Esme I said goodbye," he whispered.

I opened my mouth to say something angry, to make him see what an idiot he was being, to make him stay, but he was gone. Always the fastest.

With a heavy heart, I drove to Bella's, knowing that without her truck, she would have no way home. She couldn't count on me for a ride today; I had half a mind to run after Edward. I'd never catch him, but if I made it to Denali, I figured I had a decent chance of coaxing him home.

It was going to be so sad, breaking the news to Bella. Though, I figured from Edward's snippet of a story that she might have already understood the consequences.

I was frustrated by the slowness of Bella's truck. Excepting Esme, I was the slowest runner in the family, and I could outstrip this baby by miles. Even at our senior-walker-speed, the truck and I made it to school a mere ten minutes after Mike's body made a dent in his own roof.

As I put Bella's truck in its usual parking space, I noticed that the lot was very visibly vacant – no Bella, no Mike, and too early for any of the other students. I wasn't sure whether to take this as a good sign, so I probed into the future for more information. To my relief and disbelief, I found a scene of Mike being questioned by an all-too-interested Jessica about his strange dent, and he replied that a tree branch had fallen on it.

We had severely overestimated Mike; far from seeking retribution, he seemed to be intent on denying the whole incident. I suppose, being at the top of the high school food chain, it might be damaging to one's reputation if it got around that he had been thrown on top of his own car by a reputedly quiet classmate. Sorry, Mike.

I was nearly giddy with relief as I skipped into school. "Bella, Bella, Bella!" I sang. When she did not immediately appear, I skidded to a stop outside the girl's bathroom. The school wasn't _that_ big, and I'd found her in here once before. Predictable, predictable human.

"Bellaaaaaaaa," I called loudly toward the general vicinity of the stalls. Almost immediately, I heard the gratifying scrape of the stall latch, and her head popped out. Had she been _crying_?

"What is this?" I asked appalled.

"Nothing," she muttered, wiping her face on her sleeve. "Allergies."

I rolled my eyes. Like I hadn't heard that one before. Girl needed some new and improved excuses – if you're going to lie, do it right.

"Well," I beamed "you can put yourself on allergy medicine, because Mike isn't going to tell anyone what happened. He's absolutely fine, excepting the fact that he's now scared silly by Edward, and you by extension."

It was a beautiful thing to watch the hope spread on Bella's face, the palest sunrise I'd ever seen.

"He's coming back?" she asked.

Oh, shoot. I'd forgotten that part. "Let me catch up to him," I told her.

I left her in the bathroom, knowing full well that Edward wasn't likely to answer his cell phone under the assumption that we'd all be begging him to come home. Fortunately, in Rosalie's M3 – borrowed without permission – I was able to catch him, pushing top speed on the nearly empty highway.

_Edward!_ I yelled mentally. _Look! _

I showed him what I'd seen, I was sure he heard, but he still showed no signs of stopping. _You didn't hurt him – we're not in danger – you can come home._

He turned and streaked toward me, and I screeched to a stop, offering him the biggest smile I was capable of.

"That's wonderful, Alice. I'm glad everything is fine. I need it to stay that way, for my own and Bella's sake," he said.

My smile slid swiftly from my face. "What are you saying?" I whispered.

"I'm still not coming home."


	26. Restless

**A/N - Survey: if you were in Bella's shoes, what would you have done?**

**Chapter Twenty Six: Restless**

**BPOV**

I tapped my pencil on the edge of the lab table for the fifty-seventh time when the lead tip snapped off.

I noticed Angela look around at me with sympathy and concern. I also noticed Mike's arms tense, three rows up and one to the side. He continued to face the board.

Alice hadn't been in Spanish, and now Edward was not in Biology. I thought it was fairly safe to say that he wasn't coming back as soon as she'd hoped. And I had understood that it wouldn't be that easy – or at least, I thought I did. But I wondered why this second leaving hit me like a punch in the stomach.

I had to get out of here.

Before I really thought it through, I found myself standing up in the middle of class. Mr. Banner looked at me briefly, but I was such a good kid that he waved me toward the door, automatically assuming that I was sick. Gratefully, I hurried out before he could change his mind.

There was no defined plan in my mind as I ran out to the parking lot, grabbing the railing as I slid on the rain-slick stairs. I saw that Alice had brought my truck; I wondered where her car was.

I jumped into my big, red monster and roared it to life. Broken pencil still in hand, I tapped it on the steering wheel as I racked my brains for a place to go. I thought of Jacob's visit yesterday, and his insistence that I come visit him sometime. I might just take him up on that offer.

My foot ground into the gas pedal, and my truck made a disconcerting whining noise, which I tried not to notice. It wasn't so hard to ignore it when I had so much on my mind. Even if Jake was in school, I could walk on the beach. There was no doubt in my mind that the fresh air would do me some good.

Luckily for me, Jake wasn't in school. At the thunderous rumble of my truck, he came running out of the house.

"Bella," he yelled in his excitement "you're here! You know, when I said you should visit, I didn't mean that you should skip school." He grinned widely, knowing exactly what a goody-two-shoes I was, as confirmed by my blush.

"I needed a break," I muttered, climbing out of my cab. "Besides, why aren't you in school?"

"School's over," he gloated. "We get out early on the rez. I bet you haven't even had your prom yet," he crowed.

"Yeah – a few weeks," I muttered. I didn't keep track of things like prom. Jacob looked like he was expecting me to elaborate, but I changed the subject. "Is there somewhere we can go?"

"Sure," he said, taking me around the house to a path that led down to the beach. We talked easily of things I couldn't remember later, movies and the weather. I was so glad I came; the rolling, lazy waves took my mind off the classroom I was supposed to be sitting in.

The giant pieces of driftwood were gorgeous; I ran my hands along the smooth wood and realized that the last tree I'd touched was the one we'd sat on when Jake had first told me what the Cullens were. I stared at the gray-green water and he grew quiet.

"Bella, why don't you tell me why you're really here," he said.

"I like spending time with you," I told him. He opened his mouth to protest, but I hurried on before he could have a chance. "And I needed to get away from everyone else. This is the perfect distraction." I swung my arm in a slow arc, gesturing to the sweeping grandeur of the beach.

"Wow," he marveled "what could be bad enough that you'd have to skip _school_?"

"Shut up," I grumbled, smacking playfully at his arm. "It's a long story."

"At the very probable risk of sounding cliché," he murmured "I have time."

"Fine." You asked for it. "Remember how I slept over at the Cullen's?"

Jacob stiffened. "Yeah…"

"Well, part of the reason I slept over was because I was having problems with this guy Mike."

Jacob seemed angry. "That pale-face who brought you to the beach the first time? I knew I didn't like him. He didn't hurt you, did he?'

"No," I assured him quickly. "Alice's brother Edward was looking out for me. Anyway, he and Mike got into a fight at school this morning, and it's kind of all my fault," I sighed, letting my head slump into my knees.

I felt Jacob's warm, large hand of comfort on my shoulder.

"Of course it isn't your fault. This Mike character sounds like he could use a lesson or two. But if this all happened this morning, why are you here now?"

I bit my lip, wondering how to phrase this correctly. "Edward had to leave. Like you told me before, he's pretty different, and if Mike got him in trouble, that might be bad for his whole family."

"Jeez, I forgot about that," Jake muttered. "What kind of shape is _Mike_ in?"

"Oh, he's fine. He didn't even tell anyone. But Edward still thinks he has to leave, he thinks he's dangerous."

Jacob didn't disagree. I thought he could hear the pain in my voice – which even I didn't become aware of until he noticed it – because of the next question he asked.

"So, this Edward – is he your boyfriend, or something?"

"No," I shook my head, sounding sadder than ever. Not quite. "It's complicated, though. I mean, I barely got rid of Mike, and there are…other issues."

Jacob snorted. "Other issues. That should be a new Facebook status: 'It's complicated with a vampire'."

I had to fight a laugh as I looked around in alarm, hoping that no one had heard us. The beach was vacant, though I still couldn't believe he'd just said it like that.

"Shush," I scolded mildly, too consumed with my melancholy thoughts of Edward to be too strict.

"So, do you feel like talking, or do you just want to sit here for a while?"

I thought about it in silence for a minute, and Jacob seemed to take my lack of reply as an indication that I needed some alone time. He patted my shoulder once more.

"Stay here as long as you want. If you need me, come get me at the house. I'm not a great cook, but if you get hungry or something, I'm sure we have pasta and Ragu."

He got up awkwardly and left me on my driftwood.

I had never meant to get this involved with Edward. He'd been gone for hardly half a day, and I was already miserable. I always knew he and I were in different spheres. I knew that we were different _species_, even if we did seem to have an intense connection. I had understood how much of a long shot it was for us to be together. I just hadn't bargained on his leaving my life altogether.

I truly hoped that Alice would get him home soon, though I wasn't sure how she would accomplish it. If the trouble with Mike hadn't been what had driven him away, I didn't want to know what the real problem was.

The wind picked up and the waves crashed on the rocks more violently, spraying me even as I sat back on my wood. I stood and turned toward Jake's house. Right about now, I figured spaghetti was just what I needed.


	27. Missing

**A/N - As much as we love him, sometimes Edward can be a bit of an idiot. That's what we have Alice for.**

**Chapter Twenty Seven: Missing**

**APOV**

"He is so…STUPID," I shrieked, waving my arms in the air. Instead of backing away in fear like I'd expected him to, Jasper threw his arms around me. There were both benefits and downsides to not being as scary as you think you are. This was the benefit.

"I know," he whispered. "Shall we tell the others?"

"Like they don't already know," I gulped, as if crying with tears I couldn't shed.

My heart felt so heavy, a weight it hadn't been in years, once its beating had stopped.

I followed Jasper down the stairs, subdued, to meet Carlisle and Esme, Rosalie and Emmett. They'd known to come home when neither Edward nor I had shown up for lunch.

"What do we do?" Esme murmured.

"Drag the moron home," Emmett said with a sureness I wish I could feel. Rosalie nodded, cracking her knuckles in a slightly menacing motion. Though I knew she loved Edward less than I did, she loved him all the same…she would just take more pleasure in the struggle to bring him home.

He would never fight us; my only fear was that he would see us coming and run.

"It's worth the risk," Jasper determined, knowing my thoughts without having Edward's gift.

"We can't wait for him to come home again," Esme agreed.

"It's settled then," Carlisle assented. "Rosalie, Emmett in the Jeep – Alice and Jasper, you'll have to swim in case he takes off for the water. Esme and I will fly."

I nodded, though I was unhappy with the arrangement; my hair and clothes were always ruined in the water. I supposed that that didn't really matter now.

Jasper and I took off immediately on foot, running for the shoreline. As we crossed over the land near the Quileute borderline, I caught the hint of Bella's distinctive scent on the air. This almost brought me up short, though I kept running. Why was Bella out of school, and on _their_ land?

I had a task to complete, I would berate her later.

_Ugh_, I thought, as Jasper and I launched ourselves, hand-in-hand, into the waves. We continued to hold hands for the first five miles, when speed wasn't absolutely necessary. We separated as the sound deepened, and we turned north, cutting through the water toward Canada. We emerged near the border between Canada and Alaska, leaping up on shore in the knowledge that there were no passersby to witness.

There was no need to slow our progress; we continued running right on through the forest, and as we came within a hundred miles of our target, I began flipping through visions in an attempt to see how the others were getting along, and whether Edward was suspicious.

The others were closing in, but I panicked when I couldn't see him. I wondered if this confirmed that he didn't want to be found.

Tanya ran out to meet us when she heard and smelled each of us approach; she reached Carlisle and Esme first, and was conversing with them when Jasper and I arrived. She turned to me, remembering how we'd been as sisters during our short stay here.

"I couldn't hold him," she explained regretfully. "I'm sorry – he ran before I knew you were coming; I thought he was going home to you all."

"There's no need to apologize, Tanya," I assured her, patting her arm. "He would have found a way out, even if you had tried to keep him here. I guess he wasn't ready."

She quirked an eyebrow, made curious by my statement, by our range of expressions – Carlisle's patient sadness, Esme's quiet heartbreak, Rosalie's haughty frustration, Jasper's reserved concern, and Emmett's focused anticipation; for him, the hunt had just begun.

"Is it that human girl giving trouble again?" Kate drawled, sliding out from between a couple of pines, accompanied by Irina.

"In a manner of speaking," Carlisle returned.

"We could solve that, if you are unwilling."

"Irina!" Tanya's rebuke was sharp, but her sister merely rolled her eyes. Kate gave us all a sarcastic grin before the two returned to the forest. "I apologize," Tanya said to us, looking worried. "My sister doesn't mean to be rude; she is merely…irritated by Edward's predicament. We are all very fond of Edward – " _Too fond, in your case, Tanya_ " – and we do not like to see him so troubled."

"We thank you for your concern," Esme said warmly.

"Of course," Carlisle agreed. "You are family. We take no offense – we know none was intended. If Edward returns, Tanya, will you tell him to come home when he is ready?"

"I will," she murmured. "Though I doubt he'll listen."

Privately, I agreed.

The trip home was much slower in two respects: we no longer needed to rush to catch Edward, and our failure to do so left us all heavy hearted. All but Emmett.

He grinned maniacally as we ran, his head turning is either direction, like Edward was suddenly going to appear alongside us. "He's gonna get it when we catch up to him," he muttered.

"Edward is not going to get anything," Esme reminded him "except for support, and understanding. Is that clear?" She glanced at Rosalie as well when she said this. None of us missed Rose's pout.

"I should probably stop by Bella's house and fill her in," I sighed. Nobody made a comment, so I took their silence for assent and peeled off from the rest of the group once we reached the Forks border.

Fortunately, Bella was home and Charlie was out when I got to her home. Unfortunately, she smelled vaguely of wet dog.

Ugh – the Quileutes. I'd forgotten to be mad at her.

"Bella!"

Her pale face appeared quickly in the window, but only after several thumps that suggested that her path to the front door had not been a smooth one. Bella flushed, most likely in anticipation of the news I could bring. Even from fifteen feet away, I could see the blood pulsing under her skin, and I suddenly felt more sympathetic toward Edward. Even if you couldn't kill the girl you loved out of affection, it must be somewhat awful to be constantly fighting the urge to suck her dry.

Three miles away, I heard Emmett boom, "THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!"

Oops. I must have been muttering to myself again.

Bella, oblivious human that she was, noticed nothing, and waited curiously for me to come in. When she opened the door and saw that I was alone, her face unintentionally shifted to a puppy-dog face that could rival my own. And that was saying something.

"He's not coming home, is he?" she asked sadly. She looked to be on the verge of tears, and this surprised me. Edward, you idiot.

Okay, Alice. Keep it upbeat. _Please don't cry, please don't cry, please don't cry…_

"Not yet," I chirped. "Soon, though. You'll see. Speaking of seeing, why did I see you down at the reservation this morning?"

"Oh." Bella reddened. "I was visiting Jake."

"Jake?" I wrinkled my nose. I'd had no idea she was so close with _them_.

"He's my friend." Her tone was a little too defensive for my liking. This was not good, but I had bigger fish to fry – or in my case, bigger elk to suck.

I kept my tone pleasant. "That's nice – and do all of your friends have visiting hours when you're skipping school?"

She glowered at me. "I couldn't sit through it with him gone," she muttered, suddenly shamefaced.

On one level, I was pleased by this – obviously the situation was not ideal, but she obviously cared about Edward as much as I had foreseen, and no Jake or Mike was going to interfere with that.

"Oh, Bella, you shouldn't skip just because he's not there – I mean, really, what if he had been home with the flu? Would you stay home all week, too?" I was really starting to sound like Esme when she scolded Emmett and Jasper for being too conspicuous in their contests to see who was the stronger vampire: _If your brother threw a boulder onto a highway, would you? No, I said WOULD, not COULD._

"Va – you guys don't get sick," she shot back. Touché, my little human friend. Then again, she had obviously not seen Emmett and Jasper overeat in their gorging contests. "And sometimes, I feel like my life revolves around Edward," she admitted, flushing a shade of pink I had no name for. "I'm pathetic," she mumbled, clearly looking like she wished she could take it back.

Bella didn't deserve this; Edward needed to get his act together, pronto. Mentally, I screamed.

_EDWARD, YOU GET YOUR SPARKLY ASS HOME AND FIX THIS._

"Regardless," I pushed on, not to be distracted "be cool; stay in school."


	28. Misery

**A/N - Not for long... **

**I'll be back next week to respond to anybody who feels like leaving a comment :) **

**Also, the way the story is progressing, there should be around four or five chapters left. :(**

**As Always, Enjoy!**

**Chapter Twenty Eight: Misery**

**BPOV**

My life without Edward was more boring and miserable than I cared to admit. I hadn't been exaggerating to Alice when I'd told her I was pathetic. I mean, he'd only been gone for two days, hardly, and I was moping about like a five-year-old with a dead carnival fish.

At home I stared listlessly out the window, waiting for him to arrive by some miracle, until Charlie asked me what I was looking at. I would reply 'nothing' and wander into the kitchen to make a lifetime supply of leftover lasagna. When Charlie pointed out that we were a family of one and a half, since I never ate much, I would pack all the Tupperware away and announce that I was going for a walk. Stumble around in the woods, trip over a few roots, rinse and repeat. Pathetic with a capital P.

When it got to the point that even poor Charlie noticed, I knew I had to make a change.

After he'd caught me sniffling into pasta strainer, he'd taken it away from me, offering to stir it himself, mortifying us both with his mumbled question about whether it was _that time of the month_. I took the strainer back.

I was mad then. Edward Cullen, who are you to make my dad resort to asking me awkward questions? Just a charming, devastatingly gorgeous, wonderful vampire…

I struggled through another Edward-less day at school without skipping out to see Jake. I hadn't gotten caught for my first bout of delinquency, but I didn't want to push my luck. It wasn't the administration that had me worried – goody two-shoes Bella suddenly didn't care about _that_ – it was Alice. She had me under lock and key, with her eyes, anyway.

Her watchfulness kept me in Spanish, even as Jess bored me to death with her incessant chatter, and Mike glowered at me from the other side of the room. It even kept me in lunch, though I didn't quite feel up to sitting with the Cullens when that would only remind me of whose spot I was taking. The only good thing about lunch was that everyone was too absorbed by the Spring Fling to pay me any attention; even too-perceptive Angela was eagerly describing her dress to Lauren.

"Bella," Eric called down the table "What does your dress look like?" He made his voice high like a girl's, clearly mimicking Jess, who stuck her tongue out at him. It would have been funny if all eyes hadn't turned on me, except for Mike, who stared at his food like he'd found a hundred dollar bill in the macaroni.

"I'm not going," I muttered.

"What?" Jess and Tyler burst out. "Bella, you have to go!" Lauren glared balefully at me, as if daring me to agree. Angela merely looked uncomfortable on my behalf.

"I don't dance."

"Oh, come on, Bella, at least come to my after party," Jessica begged "you know you had fun last time," she giggled.

I glanced at Mike and watched the red creep slowly up into his face. "Yeah."

"Ooh, and bring the Cullens, too," she suggested, remembering how "damn fine" Edward had looked on her doorstep while she was still semi-sober.

I looked up. "You know what, Jess? Let me go ask Alice, right now."

Finding my perfect out, I stood and strode over to the Cullen table with a purpose, slowing when Rosalie and the others looked over, none smiling but Alice. I bet they blamed me for their brother's absence. I didn't blame them.

"Hey, Bella."

"Hi, Alice. Am I allowed to leave lunch early?" Emmett snickered as Alice's eyes narrowed.

"Only if you promise to stay on school grounds," she replied sweetly.

"Fine. I'll see you later." I waited until I was sure that my original lunch table was thoroughly preoccupied before making my escape. I headed outside without stopping at my locker, though I could see through the window that it was drizzling. I'd been enough of a loser this week, and getting my jacket felt like letting the sky win.

When I had walked twenty feet from the door, the sky opened up and I wished I was a dry loser rather than a drenched loser.

"Enjoying the rain?"

I whirled at the sound to find Edward standing against the wall by the door, protected from the wet by the eaves, and casual as can be. I was flustered; I didn't know what to say, and my brain was having difficulty processing his sudden appearance, so I remained silent.

"Hello, Bella," he said more softly, clearly contrite. I wasn't quite sure I was ready to forgive him yet. Now that he was back, my melancholy shifted into fury. Just as I was about to say something angry, the bell rang.

I figured that this was just as good, because instead of yelling at him, I could stalk past him. Besides, there was a fifty-fifty chance that whatever I would have said would have come out sounding stupid.

"Where are you going?" he asked, bewildered.

"Bio," was my curt reply.

"Wait – won't you talk to me?"

"I think Mr. Banner would notice if I skipped two days in one week," I told him drily.

He furrowed his eyebrow in confusion. "You skipped class? Why?"

I ignored him and walked to class, hurling myself into my seat with a little too much force. "Oomph."

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Fine," I snapped.

He opened his mouth to say something more, but it was just at that moment that Mr. Banner called the class to order.

"Mr. Cullen, good to have you back – would you care to tell us the answer to question one of last night's assignment?"

"The Krebs Cycle," Edward answered dully, turning to the front.

Looking mildly incredulous – no one but a Cullen could survive his academic traps – Mr. Banner selected his next victim from the back of the classroom. Once the spotlight was off us, Edward turned back to me and tried to catch my attention, but while he had been answering the question, I had made a resolution to thoroughly ignore him.

I fulfilled my resolution verbally, at least; physically, it was impossible. I watched him out of the corner of my eye, persuading myself that I didn't care if he caught me staring at him. My eyes traced his face hungrily, taking in his beautiful golden eyes and his exquisite features like I hadn't seen them in years, not days.

I wanted to curse him for having such an effect, such a hold over me, but of course I couldn't. I was altogether too besotted – the time we'd spent apart, however short it was, was enough to convince me that what I felt for Edward was more than a simple attraction. And it was this that fueled my anger more than anything.

He left his arm dangerously close to mine, his posture clearly wary of my reaction, but hoping to bridge the distance. I could see he was trying to be careful while still making his intentions clear; I was sure that his time elsewhere hadn't help desensitize him to my scent.

The bell rang altogether too soon, and without me absorbing a single word of Biology. The forty-five minutes we'd spent together had been so charged that it was almost a silent conversation. I dreaded leaving his side for gym, but I wasn't going to let him know that.

"Wait," he said, his voice low and his hand ready to grab my arm as I hurried to the door.

"What?" My voice was more forceful than I thought I was capable of as I whirled to face him. Forceful enough that I was attracting stares. More subdued, I continued, "I have to get to gym, Edward."

_Edward_. Even his name sparked butterflies in my stomach. I turned purposefully again, determined not to be charmed by his melting gaze. I stalked out of the room and down the hall to gym. _Don't look back, don't look back, don't look back_…

"Bella," he sounded as desperate as I had ever heard him. "What can I do to earn your forgiveness?"

I stopped at the gym door and turned to find him just behind me. I leaned in until his eyes went wide, whispering one little word:

"Explain."


	29. Trouble

**A/N -I'm baaaaack! Thanks for continuing reading - there are about three chapters left (after this one) but they'll be good, I promise.**

**Things I own: As of today, 2 new lacy bra and pantie sets from the Gap and silver high-heeled boots**

**Things I do not own: Twilight. Sadly.**

**Chapter Twenty Nine: Trouble**

**APOV**

I was on my way to Lit when I saw Edward chasing Bella down the hall. Shock flitted across my face – _how hadn't I seen this?_ – before it was replaced by joy. Edward!

I watched their interaction in silence controlling my desperate urge to run up to him, hug him, and smack him so hard that it would make his ancestors dizzy. I had practice dealing with other, greater needs, so this was fairly easy to accomplish.

I hadn't expected her to turn him away; I kept my cool for fifteen whole seconds by mentally cataloguing every wedding dress I'd ever seen by fabric, designer, silhouette, and embellishment. Then I pounced.

"BellaBellaBellaBella – oh, hi Coach."

"Alice," he seemed surprised to see me. I used his temporary lapse in attention to pop out my dimples and bat my lashes. Usually I hated the fact that I was "so damn cute" and that Rosalie got whatever she wanted through pure sexual appeal, but cuteness got me farther with both genders. In this instance, puppy-dog eyes would be more effective than sex-me eyes, as Coach swung for the other team.

"Oh, Coach, I'm so sorry to interrupt your class, but I really need to speak to Bella," Blink blink blink.

His face, so often filled with expressions intimidating enough to motivate the football team into a few extra laps, softened at my less-than-resistible charms.

"Of course, sweetie, you go right on in." He smiled, and I resisted the urge to wrinkle my nose. If he could only see what "sweet little Alice Cullen" was like behind the scenes…

"Thanks, Coach," I chirped, skipping into the girl's locker room to find Bella huddled on the floor in fetal position. "What – ?"

She picked her head up. "He's back."

"I know! Why aren't you happy? I'm happy. Be happy," I threatened. I sincerely hoped that this mopiness was a product of her temporary confusion. Come hell and high water, there was going to be no more bullshit from either of them if I had anything to say about it. But…it was best to start off slow. Good cop.

I slid down in a crouch next to her. I would have sat down on the floor, too, except for three things: bacteria, fungus, and my favorite designer jeans. Not an ideal mixture in my book. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

She shook her head, but started talking anyway, in gulps. It was like she had either finished sobbing or was about to start, but was trying to pretend that she wasn't a crier. Such a lie. Humans always surprised me by how weepy they were, but even by their standards, Bella was a hose.

"He-he just left for no good reason, and then out of the blue he just – just turns up! There I was, waiting for Bio, and he was just like, 'Oh, hi, Bella, enjoying the rain?' I mean, who the hell just leaves, and comes back to talk about the weather!"

My eyes widened as Bella's voice escalated to a near shout. It was pretty echo-ey in the now vacant locker room, so I considered shushing her. No, that would make her clam up altogether.

"What did he say?" I probed.

"Not much. Not that I really gave him a chance," she admitted. "I think he's sorry he left."

No, really? "Bella, I don't understand –what's the problem?" I sighed.

She bit her lip, looking embarrassed. "I'm mad at him for leaving."

Aren't we all?

"But more than that, I'm mad at myself. It…scares me how I react to him. Looking back on my behavior over the past couple of days, I was downright depressed. He shouldn't have that effect on me – what if he leaves again?"

I patted her head as her voice veered higher in desperation. "He won't," I said confidently. It was true. All I could hear in his thoughts right now was Bella, how beautiful Bella was, how sad he was that she was upset, and how adorable her anger was. Bella, Bella, Bella, every day, all the time. She was like air to him.

"You don't know that," she whispered. Wrong.

"Um, excuse me, did you forget that my predictions are just slightly more reliable than yours?"

"Well, I know, but there are holes, too. What if something like the Mike thing happens again? Anyway, I don't know how to act around him now. He left me, but not really, because it wasn't like I was his to begin with."

Um, wrong again. I'm pretty sure that the fact that Edward's thoughts refer to her as 'My Bella' negates that statement.

"That is a bit of a pickle. Just act the way you normally would. I would let him explain, since you apparently asked him to, but then ran into gym?"

She blushed heavily. "I'm sorry, I'm being pretty petty and stupid, aren't I?" she mumbled, looking ashamed.

"No, I'd be pretty pissed, too," I informed her cheerfully. "In fact, I am pretty furious. But he's still my brother, so even if I rip his arm off, I'll reattach it at the end of the day. I'll make sure to tell Jasper to keep the lighters away from me just in case things get out of hand."

Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to say something, but the bell rang just then. Just when I finally had her distracted, she got vaguely panicky again.

"What do I do? I can't face him right now. I need time to think," she whispered, as girls poured into the locker room, sweaty, pink-faced, and giving the two of us weird looks.

I sighed. "If you can run to your truck without tripping, I'll hold him off."

Bella's face lit up and she threw her arms around me in gratitude. "Thanks!"

"Yeah, yeah. Go, go, go!" Even at her fastest, Bella was like a snail, and Edward's predatory senses were all over her scent.

I gave her a three second head start before I meandered out into the hallway, searching for that tousled bronze haired head of my favorite and most irritating sibling. I checked my vision, and there he was: stalking past the lockers like a panther in pursuit of some small animal of prey. It was a jungle cat walk that any runway would be happy to be graced with. As it was, each sophomore and freshman girl he passed sighed with hopeless lust and delight that the "sex muffin" Edward Cullen had recovered from his mysterious illness.

I swept in front of Mike Newton and his crew, ignored Tyler Crowley's whispered comment about how "fuckable" my ass looked in these jeans, and cut across the hall to where Edward was exiting his Lit class.

He was already out the door; Bella had been too slow – he had spotted her. Smelled her, more like. I was sure that his absence had strengthened his awareness of her. His pace was alarming, now that he had her in his line of sight. It bordered on conspicuous. _Mayday, Mayday – Bella, move, you freaking human snail!_

The one good thing that could be said for the situation was that he hadn't yet spotted _me_. He was so engrossed in his target that he likely couldn't hear me, either, else he would have bolted long before now. His mask of concentration broke into relief as he touched the main glass doors and stepped out to the parking lot, where Bella was picking her dropped keys up from the asphalt, fumbling with the lock on the truck.

I hopped in front of him. "Hello, brother dearest."

He stopped short in surprise, his focus broken momentarily. It was enough time for me to glance over my shoulder to see Bella jam her foot down on the accelerator and chug out of the parking lot; her truck couldn't zoom or tear off anywhere.

I leaned in with a satisfied smile, rising on the balls of my feet to whisper in his ear: "You, are in so...much... _trouble_."


	30. Sleepless

**A/N - Hello all! Just want to say that so far, this has been my favorite chapter to write, so I hope you enjoy reading it, because I am as proud of it as a mother with a baby that just said its first word. **

**Also, after the next two chapters (the end) :( I have two things that require your opinion:**

**A) I want to write one of the chapters in EPOV, so pick your favorite, and**

**B) I want to start a new story, so if you have any favorite quotes or song lyrics, please submit them!**

**Alright, without further ado...**

**Chapter Thirty: Sleepless**

**BPOV**

"Gee, Bells, you sure are quiet tonight," Charlie observed while taking another garden spade-sized scoop of my chili. I looked up in surprise; coming from Charlie, this was saying something. Though our life together was by no means talkative, I realized that I hadn't said a word since I'd come home from school, aside from a vague hello and a nod when he'd asked if I'd had a good day.

"Sorry," I mumbled, trying to smile as I quit stirring my food so morosely. "Trig test tomorrow," I fibbed, by way of explanation. It was technically true. Mr. Varner had warned us about a five question quiz that would occupy the first fifteen minutes of tomorrow's class. Math wasn't really what was on my mind, though. I never thought I'd encounter a more difficult subject of study this year…until I'd met Edward.

That was my problem. That was why I found myself stabbing randomly at the beans in my bowl, my spoon clattering against the porcelain rhythmically: _Edward, Edward, Edward._

Charlie's moustache twitched in alarm. "You okay there, Bells?"

Why, yes, Dad. I'm fine. My secret (maybe) boyfriend ran off for a few days, which is why I've been so pathetically mopey. Now he's back, and I'm playing hard to get, mostly because I'm mad at both of us. His sister is mad at both of us, too, because she thinks I should be all "Hey-La, My Boyfriend's Back" and just get together already. Also, did I mention that the reason he left is because he kind of threw my last sort-of boyfriend on top of a car? Oh, yeah, and I forgot – he's a vampire.

"I'm fine," I squeaked, shoving a spoonful of stewed onions, tomatoes and ground beef into my mouth, just to prove my point.

Charlie's eyebrows shot up like two fuzzy brown caterpillars. "If you say so…" he muttered.

"Actually, Dad," I said, struck by sudden inspiration "I think I'm going to turn in early – do some more studying, you know." I put my dishes in the sink and rinsed them out, and had to keep from bolting for the stairs.

"Bells?" Charlie called out just as I reached the banister. I paused, worried that he would call me back to the table, forcing me to pretend I was worried about my schoolwork for another half hour, at least. "Don't worry so much, kid – a trig test isn't the end of the world."

"Thanks, Dad," I softened, smiling sheepishly over my shoulder at him. "I'll keep that in mind." I took the stairs two at a time then, hurrying into my bedroom and shutting the door.

He was right. A trig test wasn't the end of my world. But Edward Cullen might be.

I glanced at the clock and frowned when I realized it was only seven thirty. Much too early to go to sleep. Sighing heavily, I walked to the bathroom and turned on the shower, figuring that it would be a good way to kill time.

As I shampooed my hair, I entertained myself by imagining how my day would have gone if I had been a different sort of girl, a girl that would have let the scene of Edward's return play out in a way that would have pleased Alice.

_I sat in Biology, staring out at the sheeting rain in utter boredom. "Oh, Edward," I sighed, softly enough that no one in class could hear. Suddenly, the door opened, and the entire room looked up to see who it was: it was him._

_A blush of pleasure and surprise colored my face as I realized he'd come back; he'd never truly meant to stay away at all. I stared at his face hungrily, and he stared back with abandon, handing Mr. Banner his absence note without letting his eyes stray from mine._

_He strode quickly to the seat beside me, sitting far enough that it wouldn't draw anyone's attention, but close enough that I felt the electric current between us as strongly as ever. He was hesitant, stealing long glances at my face when he could, but looking away before it could be classified as a stare, unsure how he would be received. I banished his doubt, setting my arm upon the table and letting it brush against his as I looked away, a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth._

_My hand drifted toward the edge of the table, pretending I had dropped a pencil. As soon as it was out of sight, Edward took hold of it fiercely, clasping my warm little hand in his own large, strong, icy one. He held on until the bell, pulling me silently up out of my seat and around the corner to a secluded hallway._

_Taking my face in his hands, he murmured my name, conveying in that single word an apology, a missing of me, a hope._

"_Edward," I sighed in return, admitting my mirrored feelings. He bent toward me, carefully. But I threw caution to the wind and leaned up on my tiptoes to kiss him. He responded with enthusiasm, pushing me – gently – up against the lockers, and we stayed there for the rest of the period, missing gym entirely._

Somebody knocked on the door, breaking me out of my little fantasy.

"Bella, you still in there?" Charlie asked from the other side of the door as I shut off the water, hoping my flush would seem to be caused by the shower's heat.

"Yeah, Dad, sorry I took so long," I muttered.

"That's okay. I thought maybe you'd drowned or something," he chuckled awkwardly from the other side of the door as I quickly gathered my things in my arms and headed past him to my room.

_Or something_, I thought darkly.

I flung my clothes on the floor and huffed as I plopped down on my bed. Torn between continuing my little fantasy and fuming some more about Edward, I quickly fell asleep, the former winning out.

My sleep was abruptly interrupted during one of my sleep-talking sessions, when I got a reply to an indistinctly mumbled, "Edward?"

"Yes?" he said softly.

I blinked, opening my eyes to find him standing above my in my darkened bedroom. Not a dream.

Interestingly, and stupidly, my first instinct was not to scream bloody murder at this midnight intruder, but to be embarrassed by being caught dreaming about him. My humiliation manifested itself in rage.

"You!"

He hesitated. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you – I didn't think you'd be asleep by eleven-thirty…"

I checked the green glow of my alarm clock as I got out of bed, crossing my arms tightly. 2:46. He must have stayed.

"Have you been standing here the whole time?" I demanded.

"Well, I wasn't sure how to wake you up without waking Charlie – he didn't fall asleep until close to one."

I paused to consider this. If this was not a merely an extraordinarily realistic dream, then Edward Cullen was standing in my bedroom, after breaking into my house and watching me sleep for nearly four hours.

"Get out!" I hissed.

I pushed against him in my childish fury, my hands colliding with the solid musculature of his chest. I felt quite sure that he could feel the heat of my hands as easily as I felt the coolness of his skin through the barrier of his shirt.

He surprised me by not moving. I felt sure that he would continue his attitude of sheepish remorse, but he wasn't budging an inch.

"I won't," he told me. "Earlier, you wanted me to explain, and now I am going to. Would you care to sit?" He gestured to my bed.

"I'll stand," I shot back. Unfortunately, I wobbled then, and ended up back on my bed anyway, dignity severely bruised. I was trying my best to pretend that nothing had happened, and Edward was trying his best to keep a straight face. "Begin," I ordered imperiously.

"Leaving you was the hardest thing I've ever done." My eyes widened to take in his profile, silhouetted in the moonlight streaming in through my window. I wished I could see his beautiful eyes, but at the same time, I was glad that their smoldering power couldn't be used to influence me. The low, sweet roughness of his voice was still perfectly capable of melting me, however.

"After I dealt with the Newton boy, I saw that against my best intentions, I was still a danger to you. Bella, I care for you entirely too much to let there be a possibility of anyone hurting you, even me. Especially me.

"I went back to our other family in Denali, but I didn't stay long – I knew that Alice and the others would come find me. I wandered deep into the wilderness, trying to give myself over to my most animal instincts – those that would harm you. But I couldn't get your face out of my mind. It was so difficult to be away from you, like being deprived of air or sunlight.

"Then a second realization came to me – as much as I hate to admit it," he startled me by chuckling "Alice was right all along. I could never hurt you. I am technically still a danger to you by definition of what I am, but my need for your smile – your intelligence, your warmth – eclipses my need for your blood. And so," he concluded, stepping closer to the window so I could see the ghostly outline of his wistful smile "I returned, yours for the taking, if you would still have me."

I grappled with the urge to jump on him.

Instead, I studied my hands in the darkness, trying to find a suitable response that didn't involve me sticking my tongue down his throat.

"That sounds…reasonable," I choked out.

Relief washed over his face, and his smile grew. Cautiously, he moved forward a couple of steps, sitting down slowly on my bed.

"I've missed you, Bella."

"I think it's fairly obvious that I've missed you," I admitted grudgingly.

He laughed, his cold hand slipping suddenly inside mine. I was startled by the unexpected motion, more by the naturalness of it than anything. It was such a little thing, so easy, but to me, it meant so much.

My heart picked up its pace as it pumped fresh, hot blood through my veins, my hand pulsing warmly into his frozen marble hand. So natural, instinctive. Effortless. I leaned forward so close to bridging the small distance between us, my eyes closed as my lips parted, breathing in his heady fragrance, and his hand was gone from mine.

Stung, I opened my eyes to find him sitting beside me still, his expression one of perfect calm, though the space between us was now conspicuous. Before my chagrin could register itself as an embarrassed blush, he changed the topic, thoroughly distracting me with his velvet voice.

"While I have you here…" he fingered the edge of my bedspread. I stopped breathing. "There is something I wanted to ask you." He looked up, and some miraculous moonbeam shot through my window at precisely the right angle, illuminating his glorious face. "Will you accompany me to the Spring Fling dance tomorrow evening?"

I bit my lip. Spring Fling. It was so hard to think without a steady oxygen supply. I opened my mouth to take in another gust of air, his scent lingering on my tongue, the only taste of him it seemed I would get tonight.

His face was expectant. It was a face I would do anything for. Except…possibly…_dance._

"I hadn't planned on going," I murmured shyly. He said nothing. "I don't dance…" I went on, feeling more stupid by the second.

His eyes burned golden into mine, mesmerizing me. "Please, Bella. I will make sure your evening is flawless, if you only say you'll go with me."

How did he do that? I chewed on my lip some more. "Alright," I agreed, sighing.

He flashed a brilliant smile, his confidence restored to the point of his usual near-arrogance. "Now that's settled, you'll be needing your beauty sleep, that is – if you want to survive Alice." He stood, still grinning, and moved to my window.

Disgruntled that he had tricked me into attending a dance, I was sad to see him go so soon nonetheless. "I'll see you tomorrow," I told him.

He looked pointedly at my alarm clock and smirked before dropping out of sight.

"I'll see you tonight."


	31. Beautiful

**A/N - Second to last chapter *sniff* Just wanted to remind you all (that means YOU) that if you have a preference for which chapter you'd like to see in EPOV, or if you have any quotes of song lyrics for my next story, you have two chapters to let me know. Thanks so much! :)**

**Chapter Thirty-One: Beautiful**

**BPOV**

Edward was right. Alice was not happy with the purplish circles under my eyes, my souvenirs of last night.

"Look at it this way, Alice," I said dryly "Now I just look like I'm one of the family." That was what she wanted. And it would be true if I possessed more than a mere fraction of their beauty.

"When I'm done with you," she told me, her voice serene as she took me into the cavernous bathroom that she and Rosalie shared "people will be wondering why they hadn't noticed the sixth Cullen."

I rolled my eyes at her ridiculous words, but secretly, I knew that that was what I wanted, too. Not just to be beautiful like them; not just to look like I fit in, like I belonged somehow - to actually be one of them.

She stepped out of the room for a moment after tossing me a pair of lacy, dusky rose panties and a matching bra that I hoped would never see the light of day. Then again, as my blush faded and I performed an ungainly pirouette in front of the mirror, I decided that I couldn't remember looking better. I also decided that I wouldn't mind terribly if certain circumstances led to Edward's seeing them tonight…

Alice barged back in without knocking. Well, she floated back – I doubted if she could barge anywhere, but I was still just as embarrassed, as much by my state of undress as by my interrupted train of thought. Given the fact that he wouldn't even kiss me, having my silly little fantasies fulfilled was out of the question.

Alice heard my sigh as she hung a garment bag on the shower rod, gently teasing the plastic up over a floral patterned, ruffled chiffon dress. It was beautiful, and delicate – feminine without being too fancy for this silly school dance. It was so pretty that I was afraid to wear it, scared that my clumsiness would ruin the dainty spaghetti straps. She slipped it over my head and did up the buttons in the back, ignoring my look of silent protest.

"There – lovely," she insisted. I turned fearfully to look in the mirror, and she was right – it fit perfectly. Instinctively, I smiled. She was smart; she had earned my trust now, and I was willing to submit myself to whatever plans she had for my hair and make-up. Lord knew I couldn't do it on my own.

"How was your night?" she asked in what appeared to be a conversational tone.

"As if you don't know," I shot back.

"Edward may read my thoughts, but I can't always see his," she reminded me. "I only know that you talked – I don't know all of what was said."

I sighed again. "Basically, he explained why he left, and I forgave him. And –" I bit my lip, unwilling to go on.

"What?"

"Nevermind." I shook my head, too humiliated by my failed attempt to kiss him.

"Bella," she cooed, her voice dangerously sweet. "Tell me – after all, I do have a giant chunk of your hair in my hands…"

Rotten little cheater.

I phrased my words carefully. "I thought we had come to some sort of understanding – he said that he wanted _me_ more than my blood, and um," I struggled to remember his exact words "that he was 'mine for the taking, if I'd have him.' But Alice, after all that, I feel like we're no closer than before," I fretted.

Her eyes got wide. "What do you mean? That sounds pretty sorted out to me."

I grimaced as I could think of no better way to say it. "I tried to kiss him, and he leaned away. Alice, why is he so hard to understand?" I was nearly seething with frustration.

Alice was smug as she combed her cold little fingers through my hair. I shivered whenever her skin made contact with mine, but I was never uncomfortable, and she never pulled away the way Edward would have. "Edward is not difficult to understand," she assured me. "He just does an excellent job of hiding his thoughts…and his feelings," she added pointedly. I blushed.

I had learned long ago that forgetting expectations was the surest way of avoiding disappointment. Still, I was disappointed when Edward hadn't kissed me. It hadn't been an expectation so much as a longing, a needing, almost. Edward filled my head until there was nothing else; when he left, I'd felt empty.

I tried to discourage this dependency in myself. It irritated me, after seventeen years of being so proud of my independence. That was what had made me angrier than anything – forgiving him had been more about coming to terms with myself, and whether I could give him that much sway over my life. I was coming to realize, though, that once I let him in, I'd never really had much of a choice. I was beyond accepting the consequences now; I embraced them.

Alice continued to play with my hair, turning the strands this way and that while I came to understand my resolution toward him. "Bella, you know how he feels about you. Look at the things he's told you. Edward never says something he doesn't mean."

"Actions speak louder than words," I countered.

"Yes, that's true – did you ever think to consider that he doesn't touch you because he's afraid of hurting you? He denies himself what he wants because he cares about you so much."

Oh.

"He…wants to kiss me?" I struggled with the concept.

"Yes, you silly goose! Of course he wants to. Really, Bella," Alice laughed "For someone fairly intelligent, you do miss things sometimes. Anyway, it doesn't matter, because after what I've done to you, I don't think he'll be able to resist you tonight."

She spun me around, revealing my reflection.

"Oh!" I was too startled to smile immediately; this was much different than I had been expecting, given the last time I'd allowed Alice to give me a makeover. This look was so soft and pretty, I felt like a garden fairy with the loose curls she'd pinned back with wispy flowers. "Thank you, Alice," I grinned, giving her a hug.

She hugged me back, and grabbed my hand. "Let's go knock him off his feet," she giggled wickedly.

She led me to the stairs and vanished suddenly, in the time it had taken me to blink. It was just me and the beautiful silhouette of Edward, facing away from me in a navy blue dress shirt and gray trousers, and looking utterly delicious, even from the back.

I was grateful to Alice for somehow giving me a pass on my footwear. She had put me in a pair of delicate, rose-colored flats, rather than the stilettos I'd come to expect from her. I supposed that this was her way of supporting me, or toning it down after Jessica's party fiasco. Whatever her reasoning, her shoe choice made it possible for me to walk halfway down the stairs without tripping, and so noiselessly he almost didn't notice. Almost.

He turned just as I reached the middle stair, and I did my best to continue floating. I wasn't nearly as graceful as a Cullen, but I felt very elegant for _me_. It was hard to concentrate on floating, though, when I had Edward in front of me. Edward, whose shockingly pale skin was further offset by the deep, cool colors he was wearing; Edward, who would have looked like a glorious vision even in rags, but was absolutely stroke-inducing in dresswear. Edward, whose magnificent golden eyes were staring at me – smoldering.

"You're beautiful."

Not 'you look beautiful' – 'you _are_.' And in his eyes, I felt it.

"You too," I choked, drawing out his low chuckle.

"Come on, I have something for you in the car." He put his arm around me and steered me out the door, just the two of us. I was surprised as ever that Alice and Esme didn't rush out of the woodwork with a camera. Somehow, knowing Alice, I knew that letting me get off easy tonight was her way of buttering me up for prom. Sigh.

My eyes popped open wide when I saw what he meant by 'the car'. It was not the silver Volvo I had been expecting, but a shiny, sleek black sports car that I had a fair hunch that Jacob Black would give his big toe to drive.

"An Aston Martin Vanquish," he murmured, his eyes sparkling in amusement at my reaction.

"Wow." While I stared at the car, he ducked inside and pulled his head out again, holding a simple box.

"It may be a little unorthodox…"

He held out the corsage, certainly unorthodox for the little Spring Fling, but my mouth opened when I saw the flower. A calla lily.

"It was you!" I gasped. Through my shock, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how obvious it was. Of _course_ it had been him. And if it had been Edward that had left those calla lilies on my doorstep so many weeks ago, then they weren't an apologetic gesture from Mike, but a gesture of…I bit my lip, blissfully happy. Alice had been right. I was an idiot.

"Yes, it was me," he whispered, sliding the flowers onto my wrist. I shivered at his cool touch, at his closeness, his alluring fragrance.

I smiled up at him. "I should have known all along."


	32. Careful and Reckless

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to all my lovely, wonderful readers. Thank you. Truly, it means so much to me that you read, and I am so grateful to you for your dedication.**

**With that note, I hope this last chapter lives up to expectation, and after the EPOV chapter, a new story will be on its way! **

**Chapter Thirty Two: Careful**

**BPOV**

"You're right, it's not awful," I smiled up at him, and Edward, holding me securely in his arms in the middle of the dance floor, reflected my happiness back.

"See?" He whispered, his breath rolling against my neck with delicious coolness. I leaned into him, pressing my face against his chest before turning my chin upward, hopeful. It was a slow dance. We had never been closer physically. And every other couple in the gym seemed to be making out.

No such luck. He lowered his head toward me, but redirected once he was within inches of my lips, turning instead to nuzzle my neck. My breath caught and I forgot to feel disappointed amidst the rush of sensation. I held very still, wanting to make this easier for him while warring with the urge to twist my arms and legs around him.

"Come here," he murmured, the silky skin of his nose gliding up my neck until his lips brushed my cheek. Edward took my hand and led me from the dance floor, much to my confusion. I was happy to leave the dance, but only if our recent activities continued. Either way, I knew I would have let him lead me anywhere.

He took me outside of the gym, wrapping his stone arm around me in an instinct to protect me from the night air, though actually chilling me with his icy skin. Not that I cared about a little thing like temperature. My confusion mounted as we walked across the parking lot and into the little forest behind the school.

After a good five minutes, I spoke up. "Edward, where are we going?"

He paused, a smile in his eyes, and lifted his hand to touch my cheek. "Patience."

We reached a little clearing, where the path had obviously been recently carved, a fallen tree forming a perfect bench with a quilt slung over its wide, ancient trunk, candles glowing on the other stumps all around.

I was speechless.

"Bella," Edward took my hand and sat me on the log, standing in front of me. "Last night I told you why I left, why I came back. And yet…I'm not sure that you understand quite how much I care for you."

My cheeks burned. Stupid mind reader. I never should have told Alice about the kiss, or lack thereof.

"Bella," he knelt, his eyes and voice softening irresistibly until I had no choice but to look him in the face. "You are my everything."

And then, with the slowest of graceful movements, he placed his marble hands on either side of my face and held it gently. He leaned in, and I kept still, my breath caught and my heart beating wildly. This was too deliberate to be mistaken. He paused just before he touched me and took a deep breath, his eyes locked on me, testing himself. He carefully pressed his lips to mine.

**Epilogue: Reckless**

**BPOV**

I couldn't help grumbling a little as Edward caught me for the forty-third time after I tripped on the forty-third root. I was not what anyone might call hiking material. Still, it was impossible to feel truly miffed when I was walking side-by-side with Adonis in the flesh, his shirtless chest glittering where the patches of sunlight fell through the trees.

I understood immediately where he was taking me when we pulled off to the side of the road. We were back at his meadow, the one he had tried to show me until the sun had burst into the clouds. _Our meadow_, he corrected me, when I voiced my recollection of the memory.

_Our meadow._

We lay down on the ground of our meadow, the breeze playing through my hair and tangling the strands while I ran my fingers along the tops of the wildflowers when I wasn't busy running them over Edward's skin. Which is to say, rarely.

He sat up and I gingerly put my head in his lap, not sure yet what actions would or wouldn't be too much for him. After our first kiss, I had tested his restraint a little too much in the early days. I couldn't help it; he was irresistible and as he darkly joked, I was only human. That was no excuse though.

Edward didn't seem to mind, as he hummed a sweet and enchanting melody, stroking my cheek with absentminded content. I opened my eyes to stare at his face, hardly caring that the sun's blinding light burned overhead around the edges of his silhouette. He _was_ the sun.

He was so heartbreakingly lovely that I sat up suddenly, throwing caution to the winds, and kissed him.

"Careful, Bella," he warned, pulling away with a sigh. "I have fangs, remember?" He grinned, flashing a set of brilliant teeth that didn't look at all sharp to me – just straight, and white, and perfect…

"I don't like being careful," I pouted.

"Will you at least try to help me keep you safe?" he sighed.

I pursed my lips. "Maybe." By which I mean _no_.

He plucked a daisy from the grass and twirled it between his fingers, brooding.

"What is it?" I whispered.

"No matter how I look at it, I'm not a safe choice for you, Bella," he told me sadly. I let my hand fall to the ground with a faint thud.

"Edward, _I'm_ not a safe choice for me! No matter how careful you are, my life is what it is. I want to live it. I've managed to stay alive for seventeen years; I think my odds are good for a few more, even if I _am_ in love with a vampire."

I blushed crimson when I realized what I'd said. I hadn't meant to say that. I'd just gotten so carried away. Edward stared at me.

"Did you just say – ?"

I dropped my eyes to my lap. "No. Yes. May–"

He cut me off, snatching me up in his arms and kissing me with abandon.

"What happened to being careful?" I panted. Not that I was complaining. In fact, it was probably really stupid of me to have said anything at all. He would most likely come to his senses now and end this wonderful recklessness. Sometimes, I truly hated myself.

He grinned wickedly. "I threw it out the window. Objection?"

I threw my arms around him again, molding every line of my body to his. "Absolutely not."

**APOV**

I was just about to burst with satisfaction.

Jasper snuck up behind me and slipped his arms around my waist as I spied out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of them through the trees. My vision vanished abruptly as his lips found my neck.

"Well don't you just look like the cat that got into the creamery," he whispered with that Southern drawl I loved so much.

"It's all working out," I sighed. "I don't know what I'll do with all my free time and energy now that I don't have a project."

"I can think of a good use for it," he murmured, running his hands through my hair and all the way down my body.

"Shopping?" I teased.

He chucked and scooped me up into his arms, tossing me lightly onto the bed, where – finally – we were uninterrupted.

**The End**


	33. EPOV: Fury

**A/N - Hello, all my lovelies - this is the very end of Careful :( However, I was persuaded to write a sequel, but that will come AFTER my new story, Because of a Spoon. (Don't worry, I promise not to forget about the sequel, and I promise to update every Friday like always)**

**Anyway, Enjoy! I have 2 versions here: my ex-editor's interpretive take on chapter 14, followed by my EPOV for Chapter 20, which, you'll recall, was Jessica's disastrous party.**

**Much love, and thank you for reading. **

**_EPOV a la Jimmitti:_**

I was sitting in Biology class thinking about Bella…Oh Bella…

She was absolutely terrific. AND, she knew I was a vampire! The thought preoccupied me with worry last night, but I decided, hey – you only live once!

And then she walked in.

The new girl.

Or at least, the newest girl.

She moved with a subtle grace that mirrored that of my vampire peers. Her skin was sun-kissed brown, and were those…Sketchers?

By her facial features, I could tell she was East African as well. I suddenly heard her name in the thoughts of the mundane students around me:

Jemity

Jimminny

Jimmitti!

She was awesome. More awesome than Bella.

And she agreed.

And Alice and Bella were okay with that.

Oh, and I'm in love with Jimmitti.

_**FIN.**_

**Now the real stuff...I give you...Edward!**

**Chapter Twenty: Fury**

I sighed loudly, thoroughly irritated by this point. Alice was shutting me out again, this time by translating Dante's Inferno into Mandarin. I had nothing against Dante, but it was giving me a headache, so I made a half-hearted effort to watch a football game with Emmett, just for something to do. It was too bad that my thoughts kept slipping back to her, as they would always inevitably do. Bella was everywhere.

"So, Bro, what are you and the ladies up to tonight?" Emmett asked with a smirk. As if he didn't already know. I suspected that he was just setting me up for some innuendo, as was a favorite past-time of his.

"Alice is making us go to Stanley's party for Bella's benefit," I told him, rolling my eyes. Alice was a force to be reckoned with. There was no use resisting her. Even Emmett occasionally cowered under her glares.

"Jessica Stanley? Ni-ice. Hoping for a little girl-on-girl action there? I'm sure Jess'd be up for it," he grinned. I smacked the back of his head, repressing my own grin. The thought he'd planted in my head - of Jessica grinding up on Bella, and my sweet Bella just standing there, uncomfortable - was too funny to ignore.

"Get it, Edward," Emmett advised, nodding toward the stairs. I stood, football games and innuendoes forgotten, as I stared at her.

Bella was hardly recognizable. She looked ravishing in the simple but sexy black dress Alice had put her in, her hair tousled, and her eyes smoky. But she was still Bella as she tottered down the stairs in a pair of ridiculous heels, and I had to restrain the instinct to just grab her and carry her to safety.

In so many real ways, Bella was like a child to me, and I was used to feeling protective of her when I encountered Mike Newton's vulgar thoughts. This placed me in quite the predicament now, when I was the one conjuring images and ideas that I might have broken Newton's arm for thinking.

Jasper noticed my discomfort, and he squirmed a little as the full blast of my emotion hit him as he walked through the door. Clever as he was, he redirected that attention by focusing on Alice, perfectly natural. Emmett embarrassed us both by snickering when he realized what had happened, and Alice smirked. I was very thankful that Bella was somewhat less observant, and seemed to be too entranced by my face to notice much else, in any case.

_You might want to take care of that Eddie_, Emmett guffawed mentally.

_Make it stop_, Jasper groaned. I was sure that my unique combination of guilt, lust, and self-hatred was overwhelming in such a strong dose.

_Men. Idiots_. Alice winked at me.

"You look lovely," I told them both, reminded of her fragility when she stumbled on the last step, clutching my arm for support with her warm little hand. She blushed when she looked up, a little slow to let go. This made me sad; it was one thing for me to make myself miserable – it was quite another for her to be so involved. I was a bad choice for Bella, dangerous, but I would protect her tonight, when she most needed it. I could quite literally kill the Newton boy for attempting to take advantage of her this morning; if he did so much as glance in her direction tonight, he would wake up tomorrow with a loss of limb to accompany his hangover.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go," Alice said impatiently, smug at my reaction to Bella's makeover, but worried about Jasper. He slunk out of the room, after mentally requesting that I keep an eye on his wife. I nodded. We both knew how Alice could get carried away at a party. After her last one, Carlisle and Esme had "grounded" her, so to speak, for five years. Even years later, I'd heard that the humans still spoke of that party with awe.

It seemed like seconds later that I was standing on Jessica's doorstep, placing myself protectively behind an overwhelmed Bella as Tyler Crowley stumbled past us to the bushes to empty the mainly-alcoholic contents of his stomach.

"Duuuuuuuude," he slurred.

Alice was too busy jumping up and down in excitement to notice him slink off toward his Toyota. When I was satisfied that Bella's attentions were suitably occupied, I slipped after him. Even if I didn't particularly care for the boy and his lewd fantasies involving Bella, I couldn't let him drive drunk. Which is why I swiftly plucked his keys out of his hand before he could blink and chucked them into the Stanleys' vast, dark yard. He would have to get another driver; he'd find the keys in the morning, or the late afternoon, after a few pots of coffee.

I stole back to Bella's side before either of them had noticed I'd gone. I was _just in time_ to be greeted by Jessica herself.

"OMG, Bella, you look HOT. And," she squinted at me, bleary eyed and slowly spilling her bottle of beer as her grip slackened, tilting it to a 45 degree angle. "Edward? Edward Cullen?"

_HALLELUJAH_, her thoughts screamed at me, accompanied by several images I was only too happy to ignore. _There really is a God! Thank you, Jesus. Eddie Cullen, come to mama!_

"I'm aware we weren't invited; I hope you'll forgive the intrusion," I said as politely as my irritation with the whole scene would allow.

"Well, DAMN," she hollered, frightening some roosting crows in her backyard into flight "Get on in here!" _I can't believe that plain-Jane Bella was the one who finally brought the reclusive Cullens out – whatever, she looks super-whory tonight so he's sure to prefer me anyway..._

I frowned. Bella did not look 'whory' in the slightest – she looked perfect and wonderful and sexy.

Alice bounded in after Jessica, but Bella hesitated, clearly dithering over whether it or not it was worth it to skip the party and invoke Alice's wrath. As much as we both didn't want to be here, I was glad to be here with her.

"I won't leave you," I whispered.

She smiled shyly up at me as I guided her forward, though privately I felt by doing so I may have failed a little as her protector. It was a mad house. Within the first minute, we were assaulted by the smells of vomit and stale beer, and those disgusting "junk foods" humans so enjoyed guzzling. I had to move Bella out of the way of an animalistic couple that was rolling across the wall, about to careen into her where she stood stock-still, shell shocked.

We exchanged a look of chagrin before our lips tugged upward in horrified amusement.

"Bella," Alice bounced over, put out by our lack of enthusiasm. She seized Bella and dragged her into the next room where ear-splitting music was slowly driving me mad. Had these humans no taste at all? I surveyed the scene with disdain, the bodies sprawled across the floor and furniture in various states of undress and alcohol-induced stupors. Alice's next words brought be back to attention with curiousity. "It's a party! Dance."

At this, Bella flushed, and I was instantly frustrated once more by my inability to hear her thoughts.

"I don't dance," she whispered to Alice. She glanced up at me then, but I had already moved swiftly away in order to appear to be admiring a decorative painting as I struggled to control my laughter. "Remind me to kill you later," she added.

Alice laughed heartily at that idea before she sashayed into the center of the floor and started a one-woman dance party. As usual, it didn't take long for the drunken Neanderthals to catch on to the theme.

"Unbelievable," I muttered darkly. I realized what a tall order Jasper's request had been when she was swallowed in a crowd of male admirers; if she hadn't been as sturdy as a boulder, I most certainly would have been concerned for her safety as they all but molested her.

"I know," Bella agreed, wonder in her voice. "This is crazy."

"Crazy," I chuckled "is an understatement. Alice is going to be in the doghouse for a month, at least. What would Jasper say?" I threw another glance at the mass of testosterone with a hidden vampire center.

"Do you want to get some air?" Bella suggested.

Air would be good; it would help eliminate this awful odor, not to mention take me away from the half-dozen unoriginal fantasies involving my_ sister_.

I quickly agreed and led her out onto the deck, where we sat down on the wooden steps. Bella shivered slightly, though the night was still temperate by human standards. I removed my jacket and placed it lightly in her lap. I looked away; I understood Bella enough by now to know that any displays of concern or generosity embarrassed her.

"Thanks," she mumbled. There was a long silence before either of us spoke again. "Why did you come?" she wondered.

Because against my better judgment and all natural reason, I can't seem to stay away from you.

Because it feels wrong whenever you're not near to me.

"I couldn't let you come here alone after what happened to you today," I said, not looking at her. The statement itself was true enough, if a lie by omission.

"Alice is here," she pointed out. She was right. But Alice, though irked and infuriated by Bella's earlier trauma, did not share my intense desire to rip Mike Newton limb from limb.

"True, but she isn't waiting for you to go into shock like I am. She's ready to believe you're alright, or at least that you will be after a 'girl's night out'. But somehow, I think that you don't process bad things the same way she would."

"I'm alright. Really," she croaked. What an awful liar the girl was. Her fragility and the delusional bravery that accompanied it made me all the more besotted by her.

"Why don't I believe you?" I murmured.

She leaned toward me; I could feel the movement in the heat rolling off her body, though I wasn't looking at her. When I turned to look, her face was open, hopeful, brown eyes and heart-shaped face glowing in the weak fuzzy light from the porch lamp. She inhaled, just as the sliding doors behind us scraped open to admit several scantily clad would-be bathers on their trek to the pool.

She straightened up, looking chagrined and embarrassed. I wondered why; it was so impossible not to know her mind when it possessed the only thoughts I would truly give much to access.

"I have to go to the bathroom," she said suddenly. "I'll be right back."

I put my head in my hands, as if blocking out my sight could provide me with a clearer glance into her thoughts. She was, for all her protestations of openness, impossible to read.

I waited, impatient as ever, thinking of what I could do or say to restore the moment before she had risen. A glance at my watch revealed that she'd been gone for a whole two minutes. Not having needed to "use the bathroom" in a good ninety years, I was unfamiliar with the length of time the proceedings usually took these days. Though I assumed that even for a human, two minutes should be enough.

Sigh. Bella would be thoroughly embarrassed if I went into the house to check on her. I didn't want that. Then again, being Bella, who was to say that she had even found the bathroom? If she was lost in the Stanley's house, in some dark hallway, perhaps – there was no telling was manner of foul things could happen to her, surrounded by inebriated imbeciles.

I rose fluidly and glided through the sliding doors. There was no need to panic. No need to seem overbearing or as if I cared more than I should. After all, if anything too dire was about to occur, I assumed that Alice would see it and intervene.

He was too drunk to mentally form words, but I saw Bella's face in his mind. Scared, Panicky, framed by the blue tile wall. It twisted in pain as she hit the sink, propelled by his hands.

My fury shot me into action. I stalked as quickly as could toward the thoughts of the boy who was about to know the true meaning of pain. I was torn; if I focused on his thoughts, it would slow me, but then, I was going at a snail-like pace already under the suspicious eyes of the partygoers, frightened by my murderous expression.

Bella's back was to me, the hands of the enemy scrabbling at the buttons on her dress.

No, I snarled. The dark hall was empty, allowing me to leap the last few feet and kick the door out of the way. Bella's eyes flew open in shock, her mouth still scrunched in fear, fists balled at her sides. My fury abated ever so slightly as I took in her terror, my instinct was to comfort her, everything else be damned.

A 'thunk' reminded me of Newton's presence. I glanced up in enough time to see his head slip from the porcelain bowl of the toilet, falling into almost immediate unconsciousness. I looked at him with pure hatred in my heart.

I looked away from his body, too focused on Bella to register my disappointment at being denied the opportunity to show him retribution.

She was shaking. The shock that she had never shown earlier returned with a vengeance and I went to her immediately, cradling her in my arms. I whispered her name once as her eyelids fluttered closed.

~The End~


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